ArticleBMC emergency medicine2021
Acute cannabis intoxication in the emergency department: the effect of legalization.
Article in BMC emergency medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of cannabis legalization and decriminalization on acute poisoning: A systematic review.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2023Pooled it
- The implementation and public health impacts of cannabis legalization in Canada: a systematic review.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2023Pooled it
- The clouded debate: A systematic review of comparative longitudinal studies examining the impact of recreational cannabis legalization on key public health outcomes.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Article
- Cannabis-Associated Emergencies in the Emergency Department.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2025Review
- Trends in cannabis-attributable hospitalizations and emergency department visits: data from the Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms Study (2007-2020).Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2025Article
- Exploring the impact of drug decriminalization and legalization policies on mental health outcomes: A scoping review.PLOS mental health · 2025Article
- Fentanyl Smoking in San Francisco: Early Signs of a New Connoisseurship.Human organization · 2024Article
- Cannabis positivity rates in 17 emergency departments across the United States with varying degrees of marijuana legalization.Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2023Article
- Mental health adverse events with cannabis use diagnosed in the Emergency Department: what are we finding now and are our findings accurate?Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Review
- Developments and Changes in Primary Public Health Outcome Indicators Associated with the Legalization of Non-Medical Cannabis Use and Supply in Canada (2018): A Comprehensive Overview.International journal of mental health and addiction · 2022Article
- Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome and cannabis withdrawal syndrome: a review of the management of cannabis-related syndrome in the emergency department.International journal of emergency medicine · 2022Review
- Impact of marijuana legalization on cannabis-related visits to the emergency department.Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2022Article
- Article
- The impact of cannabis legalization for recreational purposes on youth: A narrative review of the Canadian experience.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOn October 17, 2018, the Cannabis Act decriminalized the recreational use of cannabis in Canada. This study seeks to determine how legalization of cannabis has impacted emergency department (ED) visits for acute cannabis intoxication.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective chart review at an academic ED in Hamilton, Ontario. We assessed all visits with a cannabis-related ICD-10 discharge code 6 months before and after legalization (October 17, 2018) to determine cases of acute cannabis intoxication. The primary outcome was the rate of ED visits. Secondary outcomes included number of visits distributed by age, length of stay, co-ingestions, and clinical course in the emergency department (investigations and treatment).
resultsThere was no difference in the overall rate of ED visits following legalization (2.44 vs. 2.94 visits/1000, p = 0.27). However, we noted a 56% increase in visits among adults aged 18-29 (p = 0.03). Following legalization, a larger portion of patients required observation without interventions (25% vs 48%, p < 0.05). Bloodwork and imaging studies decreased (53% vs. 12%, p < 0.05; 29% vs. 2%, p < 0.05); however, treatment with benzodiazepines increased (24% vs. 51%, p < 0.05).
conclusionsLegalization was not associated with a change in the rate of cannabis-related ED visits in our study. More research is needed regarding changing methods of cannabis ingestion and trends among specific age groups.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.