Cases Of Kids Accidentally Eating Their Parents’ Drugs Skyrocket

The number of kids unintentionally consuming recreational drugs has risen greatly over the last 25 years, according to a new study.

The recreational drug ingestion rate per 100,000 U.S. children under the age of 6 rose 3,307% from 2000-2024, with a large increase beginning in 2013, according to researchers from the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Central Ohio Poison Center who examined phone calls to American poison centers.

The study’s results arrive at a time when a record high number of U.S. adults say they smoke marijuana and some recreational drugs have become more readily available to many Americans.

“The recreational drug ingestion rate among children younger than 6 years reported to United States poison centers increased substantially over the study period, with increases especially pronounced for edible marijuana and psilocybin products,” Gary Smith, the study’s senior author and director of Nationwide Children’s Center for Injury Research and Policy said in a statement.

Cannabinoids accounted for 85% of reported accidental ingestions, with edible marijuana preparations making up nearly half of total ingestions, the research shows. The rate of cannabinoid ingestions surged by 2,349% from 2015 to 2024, per the study.

The study found that after cannabinoids, 8% of ingestion rates were stimulants, followed by psychedelics including psilocybin at 4%, while 3% of ingestion rates were opioids and less than 1% involved dissociative agents.

“Additional efforts are needed to prevent these unintentional ingestions among this vulnerable population, including education of parents and caregivers, promotion of safe storage practices, and implementation and enforcement of child safety-focused public policy,” Smith continued.

The research suggests that while 51% of children experienced no or minor effects, 5% had a major effect, such as life-threatening symptoms or effects that lead to major disability or disfigurement. There were six total deaths of children younger than 3, the study shows.

The majority of these unintentional ingestions, 58%, occurred among children younger than 3, while 96% involved a single substance and 96% took place in a residence, per the study.

In October 2023, four third-graders at North Broadway Elementary School in Escondido got sick after consuming edibles, NBC 7 San Diego reported. Common symptoms of marijuana ingestion among young children include drowsiness, excessive sleepiness, nausea and vomiting, according to a study published in PubMed Central.

Moreover, accidental ingestion of opioid pain relievers can be particularly harmful to kids, according to SAMHSA. In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent letters instructing edible cannabis sellers to immediately cease marketing edible Delta-8 THC products that mimic traditional foods through advertising or packaging aiming to appeal to young children, according to a press release.

Some U.S. states require cannabis packaging to be “plain” or opaque, and others mandate that a poison control number be included on the packaging, Packaging Dive reported. Additional requirements may ban packaging that appears similar to commercially available food products, features words or images that could appeal to kids, or is otherwise designed to appeal to children, per the outlet.

Still, many cannabis edibles sold across the nation are not always properly regulated or safe, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.