Temporal Association Between Cannabis Legalization and Pediatric Intoxications in Ohio

INTRODUCTION. In November 2023, Ohio joined 23 other states and the District of Columbia that had previously legalized recreational cannabis.1,2 Cannabis legalization has been associated with increases in pediatric intoxications in other states.3,4 Acute cannabis toxicity in children causes central nervous system (CNS) depression, seizures, respiratory depression, tachycardia, and vomiting.5 Young children may be uniquely vulnerable to inadvertent cannabis toxicity due to an inability to distinguish cannabis-containing products from food. The current Ohio Revised Code allows for cannabis-containing edibles and beverages to be sold without regulated packaging.2 However, legislation now under consideration proposes to 1) prohibit packaging that is attractive to children and 2) limit the amount of cannabis within a single package.6 Thus, we sought to determine the burden of pediatric cannabis exposures in Ohio before and after recreational cannabis legalization to inform advocacy work.