Cannabis Dominates Teen Substance Emergency Visits
A study of more than 5 million U.S. emergency visits and hospitalizations finds cannabis leads among younger people while alcohol leads among older adults.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Substance Abuse
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Researchers analyzing substance-related emergency care across the United States found cannabis predominates in visits by teens and young adults, while alcohol predominates among older adults. The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, covered more than 1.3 million people ages 16 to 64 from January 2016 to December 2023.
Why it matters
The pattern shows that the substances driving emergency care differ sharply by age, which can shape where prevention and treatment resources are directed. The rising share of teen encounters involving cannabis points to a trend that health systems across the country may need to track.
The analysis drew on insurance database claims covering more than 5 million emergency visits and hospitalizations, with the proportion of teen encounters involving cannabis rising about 0.8 percentage points per year. Nearly half of cannabis-related encounters also involved at least one other substance, and the study does not resolve how much of the overlap reflects polysubstance use versus diagnostic coding patterns.
The players
American Journal of Psychiatry
A peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Psychiatric Association that carries research on mental health and psychiatric disorders.
Washington University School of Medicine
A medical school in St. Louis affiliated with Washington University, known for its research in psychiatry and related clinical fields.
The details
The researchers counted any emergency visit or hospitalization where cannabis appeared anywhere in the diagnosis list, drawing on large commercial and Medicaid insurance databases. Dr. Xu, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is among the study's researchers.
Timeline
January 2016 to December 2023: Period of substance-related emergency encounters analyzed in the study.
November 4, 2026: Study findings published in the American Journal of Psychiatry and reported.
Big Picture
The study builds on claims-based national surveillance of substance-related emergency care, extending it to track how cannabis involvement has risen among teens over 2016 to 2023. Its age-stratified comparison of cannabis and alcohol encounters offers a more detailed view than aggregate counts alone.
Parents of teenagers may find the rising share of cannabis-involved emergency encounters relevant when discussing substance use with their children. Adults in older age groups should note that alcohol involvement remains the dominant factor in their own substance-related emergency care.
The takeaway
Substance use patterns in emergency care differ markedly by age, so prevention conversations may benefit from being tailored to a person's life stage. Watching how cannabis involvement shifts over time can help families and clinicians respond earlier to emerging risks.
Further reading
For more on the broader picture, explore Substance Abuse coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Watauga Democrat.
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