(Washington, D.C.) – New data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) in its 2023 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report shows that marijuana is now second in frequency for emergency department (ED) visits, only after alcohol. The report further finds that there were more instances of marijuana ED visits in 2023 than opioid visits and marijuana was the only drug in the top six drugs to see an increase.
“This report confirms what we have said all along – today’s high-potency marijuana and THC-infused drugs poses a significant health risk, especially to young people,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, president and co-founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration. “While the industry has heralded its THC-infused products as cure-alls for everything from chronic pain to depression, and even nausea during pregnancy, the reality is that state-level legalization and normalization of these high-potency products is exacerbating our nation’s addiction and mental health crisis. The data published by SAMHSA is yet another reminder that public health and safety, not industry profits should be the guiding force behind our nation’s drug policies.”
“What’s most stark about this report, coming on the heels of this week’s Monitoring the Future Survey that found marijuana use by young people held steady while use of other drugs decreased, is that marijuana continues to see an increase in ED visits when other dangerous psychoactive drugs did not. It’s clear that the addiction industry’s marketing campaign is having an impact and reducing perceptions of harm around marijuana.”
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 percent increase compared to the 804,285 marijuana-related ED visits in 2021.
Notably, the number of marijuana-related ED visits increased by 4.6 percent, making marijuana the second most frequently cited drug in ED visits. This compared drastically to the number of ED visits for alcohol, opioids and methamphetamines, which all decreased in 2023. What’s more, the number of marijuana-related ED visits surpassed the number of opioid-related ED visits, at 896,418 and 881,556, respectively.
Despite pot activists’ claims that marijuana legalization will bring social justice, the report also affirms that minority communities continue to see a disproportionate impact from marijuana and THC drug products. 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.
The report also makes clear the heartbreaking consequences marijuana normalization is having on young people. According to the data, 10.4 percent 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 percent higher in 2022.
“Pot profiteers are seeking to hook a new generation of users on increasingly potent and dangerous drugs. Today’s gummies, sodas, vapes, and other THC-infused products can be upwards of 99 percent THC. It’s little surprise this is leading to a dramatic uptick in emergency department visits among young people. It’s proof positive that the addiction industry’s lie that it will keep these dangerous drugs out of the hands of young people doesn’t carry water,” Sabet said.