Child Cannabis Poisonings Increased Significantly After California Legalization
Monthly rates of medically significant child cannabis exposures in California increased after legalization, with 83.5% involving edibles and 14% requiring critical care, predominantly affecting children under 5.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Monthly rates of moderate/severe cannabis exposure per million children increased significantly after legalization (beta=0.06; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.08). 83.5% of exposures involved edible products. 94% occurred at home. Among children under 5, exposures were almost entirely unintentional (87.7-99.2%), while adolescent exposures were predominantly intentional (85.5%).
Key Numbers
1,695 poison control reports (2010-2020). Monthly rate increase after legalization: beta=0.06 (95% CI: 0.05, 0.08). 83.5% involved edibles. 94% occurred at home. 14% required critical care. Children <5: 87.7-99.2% unintentional. Adolescents: 85.5% intentional.
How They Did This
Interrupted time series analysis of 1,695 California Poison Control System reports of cannabis exposure in children aged 0-17 from 2010 to 2020. Analysis focused on moderate and severe exposures requiring medical attention. Edible product packaging was also analyzed.
Why This Research Matters
California has the world's largest legal cannabis retail market. The significant increase in child poisonings, overwhelmingly from edible products that resemble candy, provides direct evidence that current packaging and marketing regulations are insufficient to protect children.
The Bigger Picture
Every state and country legalizing cannabis faces this challenge. California's experience, as the largest market, sets a benchmark. The finding that most exposures involve edibles packaged to look like candy points to a specific, fixable problem: packaging regulations need to be stricter and better enforced.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Poison control data captures only reported cases and likely underestimates true exposure rates. The study period (2010-2020) overlaps with both medical and recreational legalization phases. Cannot isolate the effect of recreational legalization from increasing product availability and awareness. Ecological design cannot establish individual-level causation.
Questions This Raises
- ?Whether plain packaging regulations (like those used for tobacco in some countries) would reduce child exposures
- ?How California's child exposure rates compare to states with stricter edible packaging laws
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Evidence Grade:
- Large dataset with robust interrupted time series design and clear temporal association, though poison control data has known underreporting limitations.
- Study Age:
- Published 2025, using 2010-2020 California Poison Control data.
- Original Title:
- Characteristics and Trends in Child Cannabis Exposures During Legalization in California.
- Published In:
- American journal of preventive medicine, 69(4), 107963 (2025)
- Authors:
- Schmidt, Laura A(2), Jacobs, Laurie M(2), Matthay, Ellicott C(2), Roake, James, Lewis, Justin, Ho, Raymond, Apollonio, Dorie E
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07595
Evidence Hierarchy
Watches what happens naturally without intervening.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Why are edibles the biggest risk for children?
Many cannabis edibles are gummies, chocolates, and cookies that look identical to regular candy and snacks. Young children cannot distinguish them from regular treats. The study found that packaging on frequently cited edible brands could easily be mistaken for popular candy products.
How serious are these exposures?
14% of the children in this study required critical care admission. Cannabis exposure in young children can cause sedation, breathing difficulties, and altered consciousness. While deaths are extremely rare, the experience is distressing and medically significant.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07595APA
Schmidt, Laura A; Jacobs, Laurie M; Matthay, Ellicott C; Roake, James; Lewis, Justin; Ho, Raymond; Apollonio, Dorie E. (2025). Characteristics and Trends in Child Cannabis Exposures During Legalization in California.. American journal of preventive medicine, 69(4), 107963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107963
MLA
Schmidt, Laura A, et al. "Characteristics and Trends in Child Cannabis Exposures During Legalization in California.." American journal of preventive medicine, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2025.107963
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Characteristics and Trends in Child Cannabis Exposures Durin..." RTHC-07595. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/schmidt-2025-characteristics-and-trends-in
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.