Emily Mai/Cronkite News

Arizona law requires manufacturers and dispensaries to must place edible marijuana into child-resistant packaging, such as these bottles from a Scottsdale dispensary.

Healthcare data tie the coronavirus pandemic to increased substance use among young people. That includes cannabis.

But a new CDC report also shows that emergency department visits related to cannabis began ramping up years before COVID.

Almost 19% of kids 12 and under in the U.S. used cannabis in 2021.

Expanding legalization has coincided with lower risk perception and more cannabis-related ED visits among children and young teens.

During the pandemic, more than one-quarter of ED visits among people 25 and younger occurred in the 15–24 age group.

The data also showed a large uptick in visits among children 10 and younger and in the 11–14 age group.

The authors recommend locking and storing cannabis away from children and suggest communities implement evidence-based programs to help young people cope with stressors and problems.