{"id":40770,"date":"2025-11-15T20:24:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T20:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/40770\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T20:24:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T20:24:07","slug":"cannabis-poisoning-among-teens-skyrockets-since-ny-legalization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/40770\/","title":{"rendered":"Cannabis poisoning among teens skyrockets since NY legalization"},"content":{"rendered":"

Teen pot use is exploding in New York after years of decline \u2014 just three years after the Empire State legalized marijuana in 2021, new statistics show.<\/a><\/p>\n

Nearly one in five kids under 21 now report using\u00a0cannabis, according to a New York Impact Report<\/a> released Thursday by from Smart Approaches to Marijuana.<\/p>\n

Marijuana poisoning cases have skyrocketed 56% among New Yorkers under 19, from 649 in 2021 to 1,104 cases in 2023, a 70% jump, according to data from the National Poison Data System cited in the report.<\/p>\n

Nearly one in five kids under 21 now report using\u00a0cannabis in New York. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

According to data from the National Poison Data System, marijuana poisoning cases among New Yorkers under 19 went from 649 in 2021 to 1,104 cases in 2023. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

As many as 95% of the poisoning cases in teens involved edibles.<\/p>\n

The grim numbers are in direct contrast to claims from legalization proponents <\/a>that the move would make communities safer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a record number of young people using marijuana on a regular basis. We have record numbers of hospitalizations because of poisonings from these edibles. And our lawmakers don\u2019t seem to have a plan,\u201d slammed Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana.<\/p>\n

Sabet\u2019s group is advocating for what it calls \u201ccommon sense\u201d measures, including warning labels, limiting the number of edibles and weed gummies sold, and more information about THC levels in products.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe THC levels are off the charts. This is not your Woodstock weed; today\u2019s marijuana is so much stronger than it ever has been. We learned how to genetically breed it to be so much stronger,\u201d Sabet explained.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve become better farmers, essentially. And so, today\u2019s marijuana is genetically altered to increase the THC levels to get you high.\u201d <\/p>\n

Legalizing pot hasn\u2019t put the kibosh on unlicensed dope dens<\/a>, either. A legal loophole has enabled pot peddlers to stay in business, despite cops\u2019 efforts, along with the state\u2019s attempts to close the legal loophole. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a record number of young people using marijuana on a regular basis,\u201d Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said. \u201cAnd our lawmakers don\u2019t seem to have a plan.\u201d AP<\/p>\n

A dealer sells marijuana in Washington Square Park on April 20 in New York City. Getty Images<\/p>\n

The shocking report estimated the 2024 number at a staggering 3,000, compared to just 275 legal bud stops.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing\u2019s being done to stop this,\u201d slammed mom Kathleen Kelley, who lost her 17-year-old son, Nico, in 2023, after he took one hit from a potency-packed joint bought at an unlicensed city shop.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have these smoke shops all over the place where 17-year-olds, 15-year-old olds, who knows how old can walk in there and buy these things.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Teen pot use is exploding in New York after years of decline \u2014 just three years after the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40771,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[8979,23599,23552,6210,22904,57,9,24,55,54,56,58],"class_list":{"0":"post-40770","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-cannabis","9":"tag-drug-legalization","10":"tag-drug-overdoses","11":"tag-marijuana","12":"tag-marijuana-legalization","13":"tag-metro","14":"tag-new-york","15":"tag-new-york-city","16":"tag-new-york-city-headlines","17":"tag-new-york-city-news","18":"tag-ny","19":"tag-us-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40770\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}