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This is The Drug Report’s ([link removed]) Friday Fact report - Marijuana-related emergency department visits continue to increase

Between 2022 and 2023, the number of marijuana-related emergency department (ED) visits increased by 4.6%, from 857,289 to 896,418, according to the federal Drug Abuse Warning Network ([link removed]) (DAWN). This represents an 11.5% increase compared to the 804,285 marijuana-related ED visits in 2021 ([link removed]) . In 2023, marijuana was the second most frequently cited drug in ED visits, surpassing the number of opioid-related ED visits, at 896,418 and 881,556, respectively.


Notably, the number of marijuana-related ED visits increased by 4.6%, even as the other top six substances saw decreases. The number of alcohol-related ED visits decreased by 3.6%, opioid-related ED visits decreased by 3.7%, and methamphetamine-related ED visits decreased by 6.4%.


These findings also have concerning implications for racial equity. The rate of marijuana-related ED visits among Black people was more than four times greater than the rate among white people in 2023, at 717 and 167 per 100,000, respectively.


Additionally, 43.1% of the marijuana-related ED visits involved an additional substance. The top three substances involved with marijuana-related ED visits were alcohol, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Marijuana was the most common substance involved in polysubstance alcohol-related ED visits, the second most common substance involved in polysubstance cocaine-related ED visits, and the third most common substance involved in polysubstance methamphetamine-related ED visits.


10.4% of the marijuana-related ED visits in 2023, or approximately 93,227, were for individuals between the ages of 0 and 17. This is 29% higher than the approximate 72,144 in 2022 ([link removed]) .
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Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) ([link removed]) 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.

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