SAN FRANCISCO —
Children accidentally ingesting THC edibles or other forms of marijuana is a growing concern for parents and caregivers, according to a recent data analysis by expert platform JustAnswer. From 2022 – 2024, questions about kids and THC or cannabis gummies or edibles rose more than 218%, with the biggest spike occurring in 2023 following a wave of states legalizing marijuana for recreational use. At the same time, the number of pet owners asking about accidental THC consumption by dogs and cats appears to be on the decline.
These are some of the key findings JustAnswer reached after digging into the thousands of user questions over the past three years regarding pets, children and weed or THC edibles nationally and across some of the key US states where recreational marijuana use has been legalized or remains illegal. Specifically:
Pediatric THC-related questions more than doubled (+141%) in 2022 and rose 32% in 2023, a time when New York, Virginia, Maryland, Missouri and Ohio all recently legalized recreational cannabis.
California saw pediatric questions on this top triple (300% increase) from 2023 to 2024.
In a few states where recreational use of marijuana remains illegal (Kansas, Nebraska) there was little to no activity for pediatric questions of this sort, possibly due to lower exposure risks or hesitancy from parents fearing legal repercussions.
While pediatric THC questions have continued to rise, questions about pets and accidental consumption of cannabis products have actually declined. For example, JustAnswer received 4,404 questions from pet owners on this topic in 2024, but this was a 23% drop from the year prior and an 8.5% drop since 2022.
In addition, despite previous increases, legal states saw a decline in pet-related THC edibles questions in 2024, for example:
California (-35%)
Colorado (-27%)
Illinois (-28%)
New Jersey (-28%)
New York (-12%)
“With the growing legalization of THC and CBD, there is a growing concern in pediatrics about accidental ingestion of edibles by children, which can lead to serious health concerns with symptoms varying from extreme lethargy, slurred speech, dizziness, difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, vomiting and unresponsiveness,” explains Dr. Karen Klawitter, a pediatrician and leading children’s health expert on JustAnswer, noting that the effects can take anywhere from 30-120 minutes to appear and can last up to 24 hours. “Parents need to call poison control immediately (1-800-222-1222) or go to the ER if they notice any of these severe symptoms. And parents need to be counseled that these edibles, are in fact, medicine, and should be treated as such, stored in childproof containers and kept out of reach from children at all times.”
For a more in-depth look at this data, along with how to recognize signs of accidental THC ingestion by children, visit https://www.justanswer.com/blog/accidental-thc-ingestion-kids-rise-heres-what-parents-need-know.
About JustAnswer
JustAnswer is an expert platform that connects people with live doctors, lawyers, vets, mechanics and other verified experts for real-time, online professional help. Featuring more than 12,000 experts across 150 categories, JustAnswer has helped millions of customers across 196 countries since 2003. JustAnswer recently launched AI search tool Pearl.com, the only dedicated professional services AI platform that seamlessly integrates an advanced large language model (LLM) with its network of highly vetted human experts.
