THC-related poison control calls tripled in Texas after hemp became legal. Experts say there’s more to the story.

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Texas lawmakers across the political spectrum have thrown around various claims about the dangers of hemp-derived THC to children, emphasizing its proliferation was a “life and death” matter that necessitated a ban on the intoxicating chemical.

“When you look at the data, the Texas Poison Control Center reported a 495% increase in marijuana-related calls involving children age five and under from 2017 to 2022,” said Sen. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso, earlier this year as the Senate debated a bill that would have banned THC products. “Many of us are parents. As a father, I can’t ignore that, and as a body, I don’t think we should ignore it.”

Data provided from the Texas Poison Center Network confirms a sharp increase in marijuana-related calls starting in 2019, a year after hemp-derived THC was legalized by the federal government, from 923 to 2,592 calls in 2024.

Of the 11,134 cumulative marijuana-related calls to poison centers from 2011 to 2021, which is the years made available on the dashboard for symptoms, those involving children under the age of 5 make up the largest group — 3,086 — followed by teenagers at 2,495.

Drug policy experts say that while these numbers seem alarming, it is natural for poisoning calls to increase when a drug has become legalized, and that the data needs additional context before it’s used to prove a need for a ban. They point to other statistics that show that unintentional poisoning calls among children have been increasing for years across the nation.

“The important part of this data is the effects and outcomes of these poison control calls because the number rising isn’t a bad thing. People feel more confident to call poison control because they don’t feel like they will be arrested,” said Heather Fazio, director of the Texas Cannabis Policy Center, a nonprofit policy organization that advocates for cannabis reforms.

Texas Poison Control public dashboards reflect cannabinoids, opioids, youth suicides and carbon monoxide poisonings, and an annual report in 2024 by the organization found that children under the age of six accounted for almost half of all calls, with cleaning products and painkillers as the leading substances.

As the Texas Legislature reconvenes this week to consider regulating THC or propose banning it again, among other pressing matters, drug policy experts say the fact that the youngest of children make up the largest segment of THC poison control calls suggests a need for parent education about securing the products in their homes and how to talk to their kids about the dangers of THC to their developing bodies — not necessarily a ban.

“I think it's safe to say these toddlers aren’t walking into gas stations,” said Katharine Neill Harris, drug policy expert for the Baker Institute. “What these numbers show is an issue of improper storage at home, which is different than young adults buying things without age restriction.”

What the data says about risks

Texans for Safe and Drug-Free Youth and the Sheriff's Association of Texas used poison control data to encourage the passage of a bill that would have banned THC products during this year’s regular legislative session. Although Gov. Greg Abbott eventually vetoed the bill, lawmakers spent months listening to stories of children harmed by the drug.

“This is killing kids,” said Rep.Terri Leo Wilson, R-Galveston, during one of the hearings.

Since hemp became legalized and distributed in Texas in 2019, Texas Poison Control Center has reported eight poison calls that resulted in death, including three involving teenagers, but the United States Drug Enforcement Administration reports there has been no overdose deaths from marijuana.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse also states there have been no recorded instances of death from marijuana alone despite various states reporting potential deaths by marijuana.

The outcomes of these calls to poison control are usually relatively minor compared to other substances.The most common outcome — 46% of calls — are that callers are treated or evaluated and released from a health care facility. The next most common result is that 22% don’t need hospital care.

“It’s certainly not an opioid overdose,” Harris said. “What we know about exposures is that these high amounts can cause cognitive discomfort or anxiety, and some edibles can even cause hallucinations or an increased heart rate. But only 5% of the time is there any major effect.”

The data does not tease out what the various impacts are on minors, and scientific research usually fills in those blanks. UT Physicians released a report on the rise of marijuana addiction and overdoses in 2023, warning that the harm to children is increasing due to edibles. Data provided by the Texas Poison Control Center shows that 36% of cannabinoid related calls involved edibles.

“Kids find these edibles because they often have packaging that is attractive to kids, like colored cereal bars or gummies, which make them extremely dangerous and easily able to get into the wrong hands,” said Salil Bhandari, assistant professor in emergency medicine at McGovern Medical School, in the report.

Bhandari said there is no specific antidote to reverse the effects of cannabis beyond waiting it out, and most trips to the emergency room require monitoring and supportive care, such as supplemental oxygen or IV fluids.

While the data doesn’t back up claims that THC has caused death in Texas children, it does carry risks. Individuals who have a history of psychosis and psychological disorders should be discouraged from frequent use of these products, which can make symptoms worse. Lawmakers have suggested that THC can widely cause psychosis, but they are usually limited to those with a predisposition to it, Fazio said.

“The real downside of cannabis is to a small fraction of people who are actual users. The idea that state leadership tried to use this as an excuse to recriminalize cannabis users is a travesty,” Fazio said.

Nuances in the data

Over the past decade, researchers have found that teenagers are starting to turn away from alcohol in preference for marijuana and psychedelics. Estimates from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that alcohol misuse among kids who are 12 to 17 in Texas has slowly trended down during the last decade, while marijuana misuse stayed even.

“I think there is a time and place for medical THC use when it comes to teenagers, but when it comes to recreational use, we should keep it away from children and teenagers,” Fazio said. “We don’t want teenagers overusing cannabis when their brains are developing.”

Harris said the data from the Texas Poison Control Center, in particular, shouldn’t be used to justify a hemp-derived THC ban because the data is imperfect. The marijuana-related poison control data includes poisonings by synthetic THC products like K-2 and Spice, which can have more severe side effects, including death.

Prior to hemp’s legalization, the last previous spike in poisonings happened in 2015 when a bad batch of synthetic marijuana products was unleashed on Texas, leading to severe health issues and medics in Austin treating over 100 bad reactions in 11 days during that time. It also affected other parts of the country at the time.

“K-2 and Spice got really bad for a moment. Some of the things that were sprayed could have been synthetic cannabinoids, but it was also a bunch of other things, and we had no clear idea what those different substances might be,” Harris said.

Education

Teenagers specifically are known to be more careless with ingesting THC products. Although THC can have a much bigger effect in smaller doses, a teen might think they can smoke a THC vape pen like they would a nicotine one, which has become very popular among this age group.

Harris said teenagers will find substances to abuse, so drug prevention should focus on educating them on the dangers. Banning substances can lead to more dangerous alternatives.

“The hemp market exists because of prohibition, because Texas hasn’t made marijuana legal,” Harris said. “If we had a regulated marijuana market, people would use that. People are inventive.”

Research has shown many teenagers are getting these products at convenience stores or gas stations, where the person behind the counter might not be as knowledgeable about the dosage amount as someone who works at a smoke shop or a THC store.

Both supporters and opponents of THC propose regulating convenience stores.

“I believe that responsible regulations, including not marketing to those under 21 and eliminating synthetic, are important for both farmers, manufacturers, and consumers,” said , owner of Tejas Tonic, a hemp beverage company.

Abbott, in his veto of THC ban, urged lawmakers to regulate hemp sales similarly to liquor sales, by prohibiting sales near places frequented by children, and prohibiting sales to anyone under the age of 21, with strict penalties for any retailer that fails to comply.

The Texas governor also suggested restricting the amount of THC in each product and limiting how much can be purchased in a given time.

Convenience stores are less likely to sell to the youngest children affected by THC poisoning, drug experts say, so responsibility for keeping THC products away from them lies with parents.

“Keep the products locked up and away. We do that with alcohol and aspirin, and aspirin is way more dangerous than cannabis. We just got to keep the products away,” Fazio said.

Bhandari also recommends not eating cannabis products in front of children to prevent them from mimicking behavior.

The debate surrounding THC and minors in this upcoming special legislative session will include parental control versus a ban, and Harris said neither side should use poison control data to support their arguments.

“Alcohol hurts people every day, and we are happy to live with that, so I don’t really see what sets these numbers apart,” Harris said. “It’s an unfair ask to eliminate risk from a market. Smoking cigarettes, alcohol, and driving all come with risks.”

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