Study on cannabis poisoning in BC children published
Most poisonings occurred as a result of the co-ingestion of cannabis with other substances, like alcohol.
BCIRPU’s study on cannabis poisonings in BC children was published today in Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice.
The study looks at the three-year period before recreational cannabis legalization in Canada in order to set a baseline for future comparisons. Researchers extracted data from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting & Prevention Program (CHIRPP) database between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018.
The study looked at children aged 16 years or younger who visited the BC Children’s Hospital emergency department for cannabis poisoning due to intentional or unintentional ingestion.
“We need to know how the legalization of recreational cannabis impacts children’s health,” said senior author Dr. Shelina Babul, associate director of the BCIRPU and director of CHIRPP.
“This research will identify areas where we need to target future safety campaigns and help inform guidelines to keep kids safe.”
Researchers found that of the 911 poisonings treated at BC Children’s, 12.5% were a result of cannabis consumed intentionally, with a median patient age of 15 years old. Most of these poisonings occurred as a result of the co-ingestion of cannabis with other substances, like alcohol.
While fewer than 10 poisonings resulted from inadvertent ingestion by children, all inadvertent cases occurred at home, and the cannabis belonged to the patient’s family. The median patient age for unintentional cannabis use was 3 years old.
Despite the lower number of cases, researchers warn that these numbers should be taken seriously, as early research suggests that children in this age group are at risk of more serious side effects.
Common signs of cannabis poisoning include vomiting, dizziness, slurred speech, and decreased consciousness. Children are known to be especially vulnerable to the effects of cannabis poisoning due to their low body weight and fast metabolism.
The authors of this study continue to examine cannabis poisonings in BC children after legalization.
Read the study in the HPCDP Journal
Factsheet on cannabis poisoning among BC children (PDF)
News Release – BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
- distress when a child was in pain and when a family was grieving; and
- sadness in the event they were not able to save a child in their care.
- concern for the injured child and the child’s family;
Particularly traumatic events, such as those involving vivid sights and sounds (e.g., families holding each other and having extreme reactions), stuck with the practitioners, having long-lasting impressions on them and causing them to re-live these events in the years following their exposure.
Even after their shift was over, practitioners said that they changed how they approached parenting and how they perceived safety during play as a result of witnessing these traumatic events. They reported having more knowledge of the causes and consequences of severe injuries, such as those that require hospitalization or emergency care. For example, practitioners were more likely to enforce boundaries around where their children could play, such as by forbidding their child to play near busy streets. They also were more likely to tell their child about safe play environments and equipment, and put this equipment on their child before play, such as explaining the benefits of using helmets while riding bikes.
Practitioners were more likely to enforce boundaries around where their children could play, and use safety equipment, such as bike helmets.
Practitioners also described being concerned about their children’s play near open windows, around large bodies of water unsupervised, and in environments where firearms were present. They also expressed worry about their children’s play on trampolines and on motorized vehicles, such as ATVs. Findings related to trampoline play safety concerns were published in the journal Injury Prevention.
Observing family grief due to child injury or death affected the mental well-being of health care practitioners, drawing attention to the need for mental health supports for those involved in caring for severely injured and dying patients.
"Raise more resilient children through play...watch and see how your child handles challenging tasks without intervening right away." —Dr. Michelle Bauer
Building resilience through play
How can parents help their children build resilience? By letting them play!
The experiences that practitioners witnessed encouraged them to support their children in building resilience through play; specifically, by supporting children in learning to cope with failure, overcome fear, build self-confidence, develop distress tolerance, and regulate negative emotions. Findings related to building resilience through play were published in the journal Child: Care, Health, and Development.
Parents fostered resilience in their kids by:
- helping their kids get back on bikes after they fell off and wanted to try again;
- sitting on their hands so they did not instinctively reach for their children when their children fell down; and
- encouraging participation in challenging and thrilling activities in forests and water while safety equipment was used.
"There are a few ways that parents can raise more resilient children through play that are supported by literature and our study findings," said Dr. Bauer. "One: watch and see how your child handles challenging tasks without intervening right away."
"Two: Ask your child how they want you to help—let them tell you what makes them feel safe and happy during play. Let them lead. And three: make play both safe and exciting by encouraging risk-taking, teaching them how to avoid hazards, and using safety equipment.”
This research was supported through Drs. Bauer’s and Gilley’s receipt of a clinical and translational research seed grant from the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), Dr. Bauer’s BCCHR postdoctoral fellowship award, and additional training provided to Dr. Bauer through her participation in the Programs and Institutions Looking to Launch Academic Researchers (PILLAR) program through ENRICH, a national organization training perinatal and child health researchers.
Learn more about the study through two infographic posters:
Graphics and posters by Milica Radosavljevic
