Edible Cannabis Linked to More ED Visits Than Expected

Edible cannabis has been linked to higher rates of emergency department (ED) visits than were expected, according to a retrospective study of cannabis use in Colorado following legalization of recreational use.

In order to describe and compare rates of ED visits related to both inhaled and edible cannabis exposure, researchers conducted a retrospective study of patient data from a large hospital in Colorado between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2016.

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Of the 9973 visits with an ICD-9-CM or ICD-10-CM code for cannabis use, 2567 (25.7%) were at least partially attributable to cannabis and 238 of those (9.3%) were related to edible cannabis.

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome was more common in those visits attributable to inhaled cannabis than edible cannabis (18.0% vs 8.4%), while acute psychiatric symptoms (18.0% vs. 10.9%), intoxication (48% vs. 28%), and cardiovascular symptoms (8.0% vs. 3.1%) were more likely in those attributable to edible cannabis than inhaled cannabis.

Overall, 10.7% of cannabis-attributable visits between 2014 and 2016 were associated with edible cannabis, despite these products representing only 0.32% of total cannabis sales in Colorado during that period.

“Visits attributable to inhaled cannabis are more frequent than those attributable to edible cannabis, although the latter is associated with more acute psychiatric visits and more ED visits than expected,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Monte AA, Shelton SK, Mills E, et al. Acute illness associated with cannabis use, by route of exposure: an observational study [published online March 26, 2019]. Ann Intern Med. DOI: 10.7326/M18-2809