Youth Cannabis-Related ER Visits Nearly Doubled From 2018 to 2023
Cannabis-related ER visits among youth aged 12-21 nearly doubled from 17.9% to 35.3% of all substance-related visits between 2018 and 2023, with increases across all age groups.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among 151,764 ED visits for 12-21 year olds, substance use accounted for 3.0% overall but increased from 2.8% to 3.4% (p<0.001). Cannabis visits nearly doubled from 17.9% to 35.3% of substance visits, with increases across all age groups. Female visits increased from 43.4% to 52.4%. Visits by 12-14 and 15-17 year olds also increased significantly. 19% of patients had a substance-related revisit within one year.
Key Numbers
151,764 total ED visits. 3.0% substance-related. Cannabis visits: 17.9% to 35.3% (2018-2023). Female proportion: 43.4% to 52.4%. 19% had substance revisit within 1 year. Significant increases in 12-14 and 15-17 year olds.
How They Did This
Retrospective EHR review from six EDs in an urban healthcare system. Identified 12-21 year old patients with substance use-related visits (2018-2023) using ICD-10 codes. Logistic regression assessed characteristics associated with visits, hospital admissions, and revisits.
Why This Research Matters
The near-doubling of cannabis-related ER visits among youth during a period of expanding legalization and product availability is a clear public health signal. The increase among 12-14 year olds is particularly concerning, as is the finding that nearly one in five had a repeat visit within a year.
The Bigger Picture
While cannabis-related ER visits are rising, alcohol remains the most common substance (53.4%). The shift toward cannabis may reflect increased availability of edibles and concentrated products that can cause more intense acute reactions, or greater willingness to report cannabis use as legal stigma decreases.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Single urban healthcare system. ICD-10 coding may misclassify or undercount substance visits. Cannot determine severity of cannabis-related presentations. Rising visits may partly reflect increased coding for cannabis rather than true increases. Does not distinguish intentional from accidental exposure.
Questions This Raises
- ?Are cannabis ER visits driven by higher-potency products or by accidental pediatric exposures?
- ?Would ED-based intervention reduce the 19% revisit rate?
- ?Are the trends similar in rural healthcare systems?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Cannabis ER visits: 17.9% to 35.3% (2018-2023)
- Evidence Grade:
- Strong: large multi-site EHR dataset (151,764 visits) with clear temporal trends, though single urban system limits generalizability.
- Study Age:
- 2025 study (data from 2018-2023)
- Original Title:
- Trends in substance use-related emergency department visits by youth, 2018-2023.
- Published In:
- The American journal of emergency medicine, 92, 1-9 (2025)
- Authors:
- Renny, Madeline H(2), Stecher, Yago(2), Vargas-Torres, Carmen(2), Zebrowski, Alexis M, Merchant, Roland C
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07468
Evidence Hierarchy
Looks back at existing records to find patterns.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Are more young people going to the ER for cannabis?
Yes. Cannabis-related ER visits among 12-21 year olds nearly doubled from 17.9% to 35.3% of all substance visits between 2018 and 2023, with increases seen even among 12-14 year olds.
Do cannabis ER visits lead to repeat visits?
19% of youth with a substance-related ER visit had another substance-related visit within one year, suggesting a need for intervention at the first visit to prevent recurrence.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07468APA
Renny, Madeline H; Stecher, Yago; Vargas-Torres, Carmen; Zebrowski, Alexis M; Merchant, Roland C. (2025). Trends in substance use-related emergency department visits by youth, 2018-2023.. The American journal of emergency medicine, 92, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2025.02.035
MLA
Renny, Madeline H, et al. "Trends in substance use-related emergency department visits by youth, 2018-2023.." The American journal of emergency medicine, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2025.02.035
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Trends in substance use-related emergency department visits ..." RTHC-07468. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/renny-2025-trends-in-substance-userelated
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.