Can cannabis use pose a greater immediate health risk to younger people than alcohol? A large US study suggests a concerning age-related pattern, finding that cannabis was involved in most substance-related emergency department visits among adolescents and young adults, while alcohol-related encounters were more common among older adults.
Led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the study was published on November 4 in The American Journal of Psychiatry. Researchers analysed more than 5 million emergency care encounters involving over 1.3 million individuals aged 16–64 between 2016 and 2023.
Cannabis-Related Emergency Visits Highest Among Teenagers
The study found that 84% of adolescents aged 16–18 who had substance-related emergency visits or hospitalisations had at least one encounter involving cannabis. In comparison, the figure stood at just 19% among adults aged 55–64. Young adults aged 19–24 recorded the sharpest increase in cannabis-related encounters, rising by approximately 1.8 percentage points annually during the study period. Researchers linked this trend partly to the increasing potency of cannabis products and higher exposure to THC, its primary psychoactive component. The researchers also observed increases in cannabis-related hospital admissions involving psychosis and severe vomiting among younger people. However, they clarified that cannabis appearing in a patient’s diagnosis record does not necessarily mean it caused the emergency visit. Nearly half of the cannabis-related encounters also involved other substances.
Alcohol-Related Hospital Visits Rise with Age
While cannabis-related encounters were more prominent among younger people, alcohol-related emergency visits followed a different pattern. Among adolescents, 33% had an alcohol-related encounter. This proportion increased steadily with age, reaching 70% among adults aged 55–64. The study also identified a notable rise in alcohol-related hospitalisations among adults aged 25–34, with alcohol becoming the primary reason for admission at an increasing rate of 3.6 percentage points annually.
Researchers Highlight Need for Age-Specific Awareness
According to lead researcher Kevin Y. Xu, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, understanding how substance-related health risks vary across age groups can help doctors provide more personalised guidance. The findings also highlight the importance of educating young people about the potential risks of high-potency cannabis products, particularly during critical stages of brain development. Researchers plan to investigate why substance-related health risks differ across age groups and how healthcare professionals can improve prevention, awareness and treatment strategies. As reported by Medical Xpress, the findings highlight changing patterns of cannabis- and alcohol-related health risks, underlining the need for age-specific awareness and more informed decisions about substance use.