The Maryland Department of Health unveiled a new dashboard tracking adverse incidents to marijuana use on Wednesday.
The tool tracks instances like emergency room visits, calls to poison control, youth and adult use and the utilization of substance abuse centers.
“Monitoring the public health impacts of adult-use cannabis legalization, which took place just over a year ago, is essential,” said Deputy Secretary for Public Health Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman. “By tracking key indicators, we can create programs and resources aimed at preventing youth cannabis use, promoting safe storage of products to prevent accidental poisonings, and ensuring that existing services effectively support Marylanders facing adverse effects from cannabis use.”
Maryland saw an increase in ER visits related to marijuana that coincided with the legalization of recreational cannabis. Recreational cannabis was legalized in the state on July 1, 2023.
In 2024, the state saw 817 ER visits per month, a 5% increase from 2023.
There was also an increase in calls to Poison Centers. According to MDH, marijuana-related calls tripled for children aged 10 to 14 and increased by 26% for teens 15 to 19 from 2021 to 2023.
Maryland also maintains an opioid overdose dashboard.
The state says that dashboard has been instrumental in figuring out how to best distribute resources to people who use opioids.
The tool collects data on ER visits and calls to poison centers. Read More
