Children’s National Hospital in D.C. says it is treating a growing number of teenagers — and even some kids as young as 11 — for cannabis use and addiction.
“The youngest patients we are seeing are in sixth grade. The typical patients are usually in high school,” said Dr. Siva Kaliamurthy, a psychiatrist who leads the hospital’s addictions program.
After the clinic opened in 2022, most of its patients were coming in for fentanyl addiction. But lately, the hospital has seen an ongoing decline in fentanyl cases, while cannabis cases are climbing.
“We are seeing more kids and families present to our emergency room, our primary care pediatricians’ offices, and to our addiction program clinic looking for help for their cannabis use,” Kaliamurthy said.
The main problem, he said, is the potency of today’s cannabis products.
Kaliamurthy said a typical marijuana plant used to contain 1% to 5% THC, the chemical that causes a high. Now, many plants have 20% to 25% THC, and vape pens or cannabis cartridges can contain up to 70%.
Because of the differences over the years, Kaliamurthy warned that families might be underestimating the risks for their children.
“I think the risk is being downplayed because a lot of what we know about cannabis comes from the times when cannabis potency was very, very low compared to what kids are exposed to now,” Kaliamurthy said.
Strong cannabis products can be especially risky for young, developing brains.
Recent studies in California and Canada found that children using cannabis products were more likely than others to develop psychosis or bipolar disorder.
Focus on prevention
Based on what Children’s National is hearing from its patients, cannabis vapes and cartridges are easy for young people to get — and to hide from adults.
“They don’t have the typical smell associated with cannabis products and these vape pens and carts are often made to look like other things that look like video games, some of them look like highlighters,” Kaliamurthy said.
He encouraged families to pay attention to changes in their children’s behavior or spending, since these can be signs of a problem. Many teens are also using other substances, most commonly alcohol or nicotine.
“Another typical reason we see kids is what is called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome,” Kaliamurthy said. “It’s episodes of vomiting and abdominal pain, which often leads to dehydration, inability to keep food down, and they get end up being admitted for medical reasons.”
He added that once a child or teen is addicted to marijuana, there are few approved options for treatment.
“There are no FDA-recommended medications or FDA-approved medications for cannabis use disorder right now, unlike someone struggling with nicotine use, alcohol use or opioid use,” Kaliamurthy said. “We are often limited to behavioral interventions and overall, help is available, but we need to be doing a lot more research around how to actually help these kids.”
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