Fewer Va. kids overdosing on cannabis following new hemp law

The number of children and teens in Virginia going to the emergency room for cannabis-related sickness has declined, following a law passed last year that regulates the sale of THC in commercial hemp products or extracts.

An analysis from the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association determined the number of cannabis-related pediatric ER visits dropped 14% between the second half of 2022 and the second half of 2023.

The decline is a sign the new law is working, said Ryan McKinnon, a spokesperson for a group called Virginians for Cannabis Safety.

Before the law passed, the number of kids and teens going to the ER for consuming too much THC was on the rise, peaking in late 2022 and early 2023. Patient complaints include vomiting, hallucinations, low blood pressure, altered mental status and anxiety.

Christopher Holstege, director of the Blue Ridge Poison Control Center, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch last year he was concerned about kids consuming what they thought was candy. Calls to the center about adverse reactions to delta-8 spiked from 20 calls in 2020 to 256 in the 12 months leading to March 2023.

But in the second half of 2023, there were 1,122 emergency visits for cannabis-related products in the state, compared with 1,307 visits in the same period a year prior.

Last year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a law to regulate the sale of THC in hemp products. No longer could stores sell hemp that closely resemble candy, cookies or corn chips without clear labeling. The law requires cannabis businesses to register with the state, and it gives a state agency the ability to inspect products and stores and levy fines.

The law also places a limit on the chemical concentration of the product – no more than 0.3% THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component in marijuana, is allowed. And products cannot have a ratio of CBD, or cannabidiol, to THC less than 25 to 1. While the sale of recreational marijuana remains illegal in Virginia, residents can buy and sell hemp products that fall within the legal standard.

The point of the law was to protect children and families from ingesting unregulated, intoxicating products that pose serious health risks, said Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, who sponsored the bill.

“So, it is certainly welcome news to see that this policy change appears to be having a positive effect,” he said.

In response to the increase in pediatric ER visits, the state health department created a surveillance system in which the state asks medical providers to report adverse events involving children and THC or CBD products.