Marijuana

ER visits for children sickened from marijuana surged during the pandemic

The biggest jump was among kids under age 11, with a more than 200% increase from 2019 to 2022, the CDC found

HDR shot of harvested cannabis blooms in jars in front of a white background
Getty Images (File)

The number of young people consuming toxic levels of marijuana edibles or smoking pot to the point that they require emergency help shot up dramatically during the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.

The new data are "concerning" to pediatric emergency care doctors like Dr. Caleb Ward at Children's National hospital in Washington, D.C., but they're no surprise.

"It would be an unusual week if we're not seeing a child presenting to our emergency room with side effects from cannabis ingestion," said Ward, who was not involved with the new report.

While older teenagers accounted for the vast majority of cannabis-related ER visits, the most stunning increase was found among children under age 11: a 214% increase, on average, from 2019 to 2022.

As many as 23 states currently have legalized recreational marijuana and 38 allow its medical use.

Read more at NBCNews.com.

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