Following passage of medical marijuana in Colorado, there was an increased incidence of cannabis related illnesses seen in Colorado emergency departments. (ED) This increased even more dramatically when Colorado made recreational high THC cannabis legal.1,2 Recreational marijuana also brings with it numerous social, educational, law-enforcement, vehicle accidents/DUI and other health problems including homelessness.2 With the legalization of medical marijuana in Missouri, we have personally observed an increased incidence of ED initial and repeat visits and hospitalizations for marijuana complications especially cannabis hyperemesis. If this is typical of Missouri EDs, as we think it is from discussion with other physicians, it will strain hospital and ED physician resources to provide care for Missourians with non-marijuana related accidents and illnesses. To document the adverse effects of medical marijuana,2 we hope that medical researchers will study the increase of marijuana related ER visits and hospitalizations in 2020 versus three to five years ago when access to marijuana was more restricted.
Footnotes
Editor’s Note
This correspondence was received prior to the COVID 19 Pandemic crisis. Reports received by the Editor from Colorado ERs indicate that the increased ER burden from medical/recreational marijuana users1 has disproportionally increased; that chronic marijuana users may be more suspectable to the COVID 19 virus; and this marijuana user burden is interfering with the ability to treat non-marijuana users. (emails Finn Marijuana Study Group March, 2020)
References
- 1.Randall K, Hayward K. Emergent medical illnesses related to cannabis use. Missouri Medicine. 2019;116:239–241. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program. The legalization of marijuana in Colorado: The Impact Volume 6 September 2019. Executive Summary Missouri Medicine. 2019;116:450. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]