New Study Highlights Outcomes of Unintentional Pediatric Exposures to Cannabis- and Hemp-derived Products

Children exposed to hemp-derived synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids had higher rates of critical care admissions and overall admission rates to emergency care according to  recently conducted a study by Northwestern University. The study used National Poison Control Data System (NPDS) data for single substance exposures comparing outcomes of children aged 5 and under who either unintentionally consumed cannabis-derived edibles or hemp-derived edibles collected between January of 2023 through December of 2024. Furthermore, the hemp-derived cannabinoids were associated with significantly higher rates of respiratory depression and hypotension in these cases:

• Critical Care Admissions: 11.3% vs 8.58%; 
• Overall Admission Rates: 28.35% vs 26.13%
• Respiratory Depression: 5.9% vs 4.6%; 
• Hypotension: 3.87% vs 2.97% 

It is important to note that no deaths were reported for either group, though a separate FDA source has attributed one death to a hemp-derived gummies sold in Virginia.
The authors of the Northwestern University study noted that, “temporal trends demonstrated that while Δ9-THC exposures were decreasing over the study period, hemp-derived cannabinoid exposures continued to rise.”

The authors mentioned that hemp derived products are largely unregulated with a lack of standards for child-proof packaging, packaging limits, and clear testing and labeling of potency and ingredients unlike state-level adult-use and medical cannabis markets. Given that these standards are common in all state-level cannabis programs, they may partially explain the difference in outcomes in unintentional exposures. Additionally, the authors recommended educational campaigns aimed at parents and retailers to increase awareness of the potential risks associated with hemp-derived cannabinoids, which are often perceived as safer alternatives.

Limitations of the study included NPDS coding relies on healthcare worker reporting rather than laboratory confirmation of specific compounds which introduces potential human error in data entry. NPDS data also lacks details on dose which may explain the greater severity of hemp-derived cannabinoids. Finally, the analysis did not control for age or comorbidities which could contribute to differences in outcomes.