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 (DAWN). This represents an 11.5% increase compared to the 804,285 marijuana-related ED visits in 2021. 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.
