Study: Pot-related visits to Colorado ERs higher for out-of-state visitors

Future efforts should focus on educating visitors on safe and appropriate marijuana usage
Chicago Tribune (US)
Thursday, February 25, 2016

colorado-dispensaryMarijuana-related emergency room visits in Colorado have increased at a higher rate for out-of-state guests than for residents since cannabis was legalized, according to a new study. The Northwestern Medicine and the University of Colorado School of Medicine looked at ER visits at more than 100 hospitals in Colorado in which there was a diagnosis of patients having used cannabis. Researchers compared the records from 2012, when the Colorado ballot measure passed to legalize marijuana, with 2014, when it was legally sold for recreational use. The study did not look at whether ER patients smoked marijuana or ingested edible marijuana products. Inexperienced users are unaware of the delayed effect of edibles.