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This is The Drug Report’s Friday Fact report - Minnesota Marijuana Hospital-Treated Poisonings for Children Under 4 Increased by 733% Over the Past Six Years

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, from 2018 to 2023, the number of marijuana hospital-treated poisonings for children aged 4 and under increased by 733%: 

• 2018: 12 poisonings 

• 2019: 11 poisonings 

• 2020: 17 poisonings 

• 2021: 42 poisonings 

• 2022: 57 poisonings 

• 2023: 100 poisonings 

On July 1, 2022, low-dose hemp edibles were legalized in Minnesota. On August 1, 2023, Minnesota then legalized marijuana. From 2022 to 2023, hospital visits among children aged 4 and under increased by 75%, while adults over the age of 50 saw a 57% increase.  

This November, there are multiple ballot initiatives to legalize either medical or recreational marijuana. Some of these ballot initiatives are happening in Florida, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska. If they pass, more innocent children will be harmed by marijuana.

Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is an alliance of organizations and individuals dedicated to a health-first approach to marijuana policy. We are professionals working in mental health and public health. We are bipartisan. We are medical doctors, lawmakers, treatment providers, preventionists, teachers, law enforcement officers and others who seek a middle road between incarceration and legalization. Our commonsense, third-way approach to marijuana policy is based on reputable science and sound principles of public health and safety.