Tourist pot complaints up at Colorado emergency rooms

They found that ER visits related to marijuana by people from out of state almost doubled, from 85 per 100,000 visits in 2013 to 168 per 100,000 visits in 2014, which is the first year recreational marijuana was sold legally. Future bud tourists should be getting more help.

“In the past, when it was illegal, they might not tell (the doctors about marijuana use), and now that it’s legal, they might be more willing to be honest”, he said.

Monte said the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s “Good to Know” campaign has improved education of users across the state, reflected in lower rates of emergency department visits among Colorado residents. He wants to see the government look at legalization from a public health standpoint.

Monte said “marijuana can exacerbate an existing condition, and that explains numerous cases”.

“This is an historic day for Australia and the many advocates who have fought long and hard to challenge the stigma around medicinal cannabis products so genuine patients are no longer treated as criminals”.

Although researchers did not identify whether ER visitors used edible or smoked marijuana products, edibles such as cookies or brownies often have a delayed effect, said Kim, which could lead to overdosing.

Researchers recorded 163 marijuana cases per 10,000 visits by people from out-of-state in 2014, up from 78 per 10,000 visits in 2012.

For example, pot-laced candy bars are supposed to be broken into ten pieces, with each piece containing a full 10-milligram serving of THC, the chemical in pot that gets you high, Hill said. “Usually inexperienced users may ingest an edible marijuana product and then when they don’t feel any effects, eat another marijuana product because they think it’s not working”.

More honest reporting from patients could also factor into the increase, said Ali Nagib, assistant director of the IL chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Armentano agreed that consumer education is key.

Public health experts including Mark Haden, an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia, believe changes to marijuana regulation will require a detailed analysis rooted in the experience Canada already has with tobacco and alcohol.

The problem with out-of-state visitors misusing recreational pot is so well-known, Hill said, that tourism boards have taken out billboards that say, “Don’t let a candy bar ruin your vacation”.

“The number one difference between someone visiting and using marijuana and someone who lives here and using marijuana is that the person visiting has just gone to a much higher altitude and we know that’s attributed to a bunch of symptoms like passing out and nausea”.

“Obviously, if there was a 50 percent increase in alcohol poisoning, that would be very different than if there was a 50 percent increase in people showing up who mentioned they had a beer”, said Mason Tvert, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project, which seeks to legalize marijuana.