A new study published by the Oregon Health and Science University revealed that in the span of two decades, reports to poison centers for child and teen marijuana use increased by 245%.

Alok Patel, a pediatrician at Stanford Children's Health and co-author of the research, used a sample of more than 330,000 reports in the National Poison Data System dated between the period of 2000 and 2020 to conduct the study. 

Patel found that alcohol use reports decreased around the same time frame and were surpassed by marijuana in 2014.

He further found that a spike in marijuana use occurred between 2017 and 2020.

"Marijuana is readily accessible, in multiple forms, whether at a store, from a friend or relative, or online," he told ABC News.

According to the report, edible marijuana accounted for the highest increase in calls to poison centers, while dextromethorphan, a medication used in cough medicine, had the highest number of cases across the 20-year period, followed by benzodiazepines, such as Valium and Xanax, which made up 7.5% of cases.

The study found that from 2018 to 2020, marijuana had the highest number of calls, and it involved older male teens aged 16 to 18 being the most likely to report poison cases, regardless of the substance.

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The reports that were issued by health professionals and agencies were related to instances where unknown substances were consumed and where there presented a health concern and intentional misuse.

Only 0.1% of deaths from any substances were reported.

The study further reveals that the most commonly responsible for calls to poison centers were over-the-counter medications, household products, or common childhood prescriptions, like Benadryl, Tylenol, or anti-depressant medications.

With regard to the spike recorded between 2017 and 2020, the authors say they suspect that the recent legalization of marijuana across the nation is responsible for this. But this will require further research to evidence.

"These are important conversations that need to happen alongside conversations about legalizing marijuana," Patel said. "While it is true that other substances are far more dangerous when ingested, this doesn't mean marijuana is harmless... We still have a lot to learn about the long-term effects of marijuana use in the developing adolescent brain."

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