Marijuana-Related ER Visits Have Tripled in Colorado Since Legalization

Marijuana-related emergency room visits tripled in Colorado since the legalization of cannabis in 2012, according to a study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital reviewed the records of nearly 10,000 patients who had pot-related visits at the hospital between 2012 to 2016. They found a three-fold increase in cannabis-associated emergency department visits during that period.

“Lawmakers rushing to legalize marijuana need to slow down and consider the implications it could bring upon their state,” Dr. Kevin Sabet, founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said in an email to TheBlaze. “They are certainly not receiving information such as this from the pot industry’s army of lobbyists.”

Pot smokers visited the emergency room more often, but edibles accounted for a higher number of cardiovascular and psychiatric symptoms, the study showed. Edibles are food products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, more commonly known as THC. It is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. . .

“Acute psychiatric visits like acute panic attacks, acute psychosis, and acute-onset of chronic conditions such as acute exacerbations of schizophrenia were also much more commonly associated with cannabis edibles,” he added. (Read more from “Marijuana-Related ER Visits Have Tripled in Colorado Since Legalization” HERE)

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