Ingestion of Illicit Substances by Young Children Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Source: 

Raffa BJ, Schilling S, Henry MK, et al. Ingestion of Illicit Substances by Young Children Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(4):e239549. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.9549

Key Points

Question  How have ingestion rates of illicit substances in young children changed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Findings  This cross-sectional study used an interrupted time series including 7659 children presenting with ingestions. There was an immediate increase in overall ingestions among children younger than 6 years in the pandemic period compared with the prepandemic period, attributed to cannabis, opioid, and ethanol ingestions, and there was a sustained monthly increase in overall ingestions attributed to opioids.

Meaning  Additional research is needed to understand the reason for this study’s observed increased ingestion rate and to provide interventions and policies to address this trend.