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A new study published in The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine found that recreational marijuana legalization in Illinois was not associated with a significant increase in pediatric emergency department patients testing positive for THC.

Researchers from Midwestern University conducted a retrospective cohort study examining pediatric urine drug screens collected at a suburban community hospital emergency department before and after Illinois legalized recreational marijuana on January 1, 2020. The study included 169 patients under 18 years old, excluding infants younger than four weeks.

Researchers compared data from fixed periods in 2019 and 2020 to determine whether THC-positive drug screens increased after legalization, and whether pediatric patients were more likely to have co-ingestion of other substances.

In 2019, 16 of 88 pediatric drug screens were positive for THC, or 18.18%. In 2020, 17 of 81 were positive, or 20.99%. The difference “was not statistically significant”, states the study’s researchers.

The study also found no significant change in co-ingestion rates involving other substances, including amphetamines, benzodiazepines, opiates and cocaine, and it reported no significant difference in positive or negative drug screen rates based on patient sex.

“These findings indicate that THC usage among pediatric patients with positive UDS did not increase with state legalization, nor did co-ingestion rates,” the researchers concluded.

The authors said the findings may help hospitals and policymakers better anticipate emergency department demands following large-scale drug policy changes. However, they noted that further research is needed, particularly larger multi-center studies, to better evaluate the relationship between legalization and pediatric emergency department presentations.