New York Times: Cannabis Poisonings Are Rising, Mostly Among Kids
Source: New York Times
Publication Date: August 10, 2025
Medical Toxicologists: Robert Hendrickson, MD, FACMT; Laurén Murphy, MD
Keywords/Topics: Cannabis, Poisoning, Pediatric Cannabis Exposures
"Cannabis Poisonings Are Rising, Mostly Among Kids"
By Danielle Ivory, Julie Tate, and Megan Twohey
(Selected excerpts below feature Drs. Hendrickson and Murphy - see link above to access full article.)
"...To better understand the rise in cases, The New York Times examined data from the national Poison Centers, surveyed regional centers and more than 200 doctors, reviewed court records, and interviewed physicians and public health experts. The Times identified dozens of children across the country who had consumed cannabis products from stashes belonging to relatives or friends and were hospitalized with paranoia, vomiting or other symptoms of poisoning.
In most instances of cannabis exposure, the physical effects were not severe, according to the poison control data. But a growing number of poisonings have led to breathing problems or other life-threatening consequences. In 2009, just 10 such cases were reported to poison centers; last year, there were more than 620 — a vast majority of them children or teens. More than 100 required ventilators.
Dr. Robert Hendrickson, an emergency physician and professor at Oregon Health & Science University, said that in recent years he has treated more patients for cannabis poisoning, including a toddler who ended up in the I.C.U. after eating a cannabis cookie. “The child had a seizure and then was put on a ventilator” and had several more seizures, he said.
Four deaths since 2009 have been judged by America’s Poison Centers as likely caused by cannabis poisoning. One involved a child or teen and was accidental. The other deaths involved intentional misuse or abuse, the organization said. Data from 2024 has yet to be finalized..."
“...It can be just devastating to watch a child in that state,” said Dr. Laurén Murphy, an emergency physician and medical toxicologist at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.
The city’s poison control center said cases involving young children had become “almost a daily occurrence,” including some who had breathing problems or fell into a coma.
Generally, doctors said, people recover within days if they are treated effectively, but the symptoms — and the memory of them — can be frightening..."
"...Dr. Hendrickson served on a committee about a decade ago that helped set Oregon’s limit to 50 milligrams per package. He said it was meant to protect children: Even if a child managed to eat the whole package, the effects were less likely to be life-threatening.
In 2022, the limit in Oregon doubled.
For a toddler, Dr. Hendrickson said, that could mean “the difference between being really sleepy and spending the night in the E.R. — and being on a ventilator.”