Unintentional Pediatric Marijuana Exposures Prior to and After Legalization and Commercial Availability of Recreational Marijuana in Washington State.

BACKGROUND: Washington State was one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana. Increased availability of marijuana may result in more unintentional pediatric exposure, which often presents as altered mental status with unknown cause. OBJECTIVES: To quantify unintentional pediatric marijuana exposures reported to the Washington Poison Center (WAPC) prior to and after legalization and commercial availability of recreational marijuana. METHODS: Data were obtained from the WAPC database, toxiCALL®. Patients ≤ 9 years old with a reported marijuana exposure between July 2010 and July 2016 were included in the analysis. Patient and exposure characteristics were summarized and median exposure frequencies were calculated for the periods prior to and after legalization. RESULTS: There were 161 cases meeting the inclusion criteria that occurred between July 2010 and July 2016. Of these, 130 (81%) occurred in the 2.5-year period after legalization of recreational marijuana in January 2013. The median age of exposed children was 2 years (range 0-9 years). Eighty-one percent of the exposures occurred in the child's own home. The number of exposures per month increased after recreational marijuana was legalized in November 2012, and increased further once recreational marijuana shops were legally allowed to open in July 2014. CONCLUSION: Reported unintentional pediatric marijuana exposure has increased in the state of Washington since recreational marijuana was legalized. As marijuana becomes more available, clinicians should be aware of the risk of unintentional pediatric marijuana exposure, and this should inform lawmakers regarding regulations around childhood exposure to marijuana.

Health effects from reported exposure to methamphetamine labs: a poison center-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Illicit methamphetamine laboratories pose a health hazard. However, information on symptoms from exposure is limited, particularly for setup or former laboratories. METHODS: A descriptive study was done using case reports provided by the Washington State Poison Control Center for the years 1999 through 2004. RESULTS: Reported exposures occurred mainly in residences, predominantly in setup and suspected former lab sites. For all lab types combined, the most frequent reported symptoms were headache (17%), nausea/vomiting (14%), respiratory (8%), and eye irritation (7%). Healthcare facility utilization was highest for law enforcement personnel (93%) and persons involved in methamphetamine production, or "cooks" (90%). It was lowest for other adults (29%) and children (46%). Hospitalization was most common for cooks (43%), followed by children (8%), law enforcement officers (3%), and other adults (3%). CONCLUSION: Poison control center data help characterize health outcomes from exposure to suspected illicit methamphetamine labs. Many of the reported symptoms in suspected former labs are consistent with exposure to persistent irritants.