From 2015 to 2024 in LAC, there were 307,021 ED visits that listed any cannabis abuse, dependence, use, or poisoning (cannabis-related) as a diagnosis. Cannabis-related ED visits increased 37% from 2015 to 2017, plateaued from 2017 to 2019, then decreased 18% through 2021 before increasing 7% in 2022 and remaining stable. In 2024, the annual total for cannabis-related ED visits was 29,910 cases (Figure 1).
From 2016 to 2024, the most common diagnosis for cannabis-related ED visits was cannabis abuse (48%), followed by cannabis use without complications (38%), use with complications (6%), dependence (5%), and poisoning (3%) (Figure 2).
A total of 32,126 cases, or 10% of cannabis-related ED visits, listed cannabis abuse, dependence, use, or poisoning as the principal diagnosis (primary) for ED visits from 2015 to 2024. Primary cannabis ED visits increased 153% from 2015 to 2019, then decreased and plateaued in the following years. In 2024, the annual total for primary cannabis ED visits was 3,048 cases (Figure 3).
Compared to all cannabis-related ED visits, among primary cannabis ED visits, abuse (34%) accounted for a smaller proportion, while poisoning (23%) and use with complications (22%) accounted for a much larger proportion (Figure 4).
Any Mention
Overall, young adults aged 18-25 (29%) and adults 26-34 (27%) accounted for the largest proportions of cannabis-related ED visits from 2015-2024, followed by adults aged 45-64 (17%), 35-44 (16%), and youth aged 0-17 (7%) (Figure 5). The number of cannabis-related ED visits consistently decreased since 2018 among young adults aged 18-25, and dipped below that of adults 26-34, who had stable numbers since 2020. Cannabis-related ED visits increased annually among older age groups 35+ from 2020 to 2024. Among youth under age 18, cannabis-related ED visits decreased during 2020-2021, but rebounded and remained relatively stable (Figure 6).
Primary
From 2015-2024, the proportions of primary cannabis ED visits were highest among young adults aged 18-25 (31%) and youth under age 18 (25%) (Figure 7).
Primary cannabis ED visits among individuals aged 0-17 increased 97% from 2015 to 2019, dropped 40% from 2019-2021, then rebounded and continued its increasing trend through 2023 before decreasing in 2024. Youth under 18 surpassed young adults aged 18-25 to become the largest age group for primary cannabis ED visits from 2022 (Figure 8). Primary cannabis ED visits among older age groups have been decreasing since around 2018 and 2019.
Any Mention
Males accounted for 62% of cannabis-related ED visits from 2015-2024. However, the gender gap has been decreasing, as the proportion of cannabis-related ED visits among females increased from 34% in 2015 to 41% in 2024 (Figures 9-10).
Primary
Patterns for primary cannabis ED visits were similar to all cannabis-related ED visits, with the proportion among females increasing from 39% in 2015 to 45% in 2024 (Figures 11-12).
Any Mention
Hispanic/Latinos (42%) and Blacks (30%) accounted for the largest proportion of cannabis-related ED visits in LAC from 2019-2024, followed by Whites (18%). Cannabis-related ED visits among Whites and Blacks decreased consistently until 2020, then plateaued through 2024. In contrast, that for Hispanic/Latinos increased consistently before dipping in 2020-2021, then largely rebounded and remained at high levels through 2024 (Figures 13-14).
Primary
Primary cannabis ED visits among Hispanic/Latinos were much higher than that of other race/ethnic groups for all years in the past decade. For all race/ethnic groups, primary cannabis ED visits increased from 2015 to 2019, then decreased and remained relatively stable through 2024 (Figures 15-16).
California’s Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI). Nonpublic Inpatient Discharge and Emergency Department data, 2015-2024. California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2024). Drug Abuse Warning Network: National Estimates from Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits, 2023. Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data.
Hoots B, Vivolo-Kantor A, Seth P. The rise in non-fatal and fatal overdoses involving stimulants with and without opioids in the United States. Addiction. 2020;115(5):946-958. doi:10.1111/add.14878