‘On a percentage basis, they’re quite concerning, but the actual numbers didn’t turn into a huge tidal wave,’ said emergency physician Dr. Eddy Lang

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Cannabis-related hospital visits and accidental ingestions of the drug among children have increased in Alberta since its recreational legalization, say studies monitoring urban health-care facilities.

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After canvassing 14 Calgary- and Edmonton-area health-care facilities before and after the October 2018 end to cannabis prohibition, the research found a 45 per cent increase in the number of hospital visits linked to its use and a 77 per cent hike in accidental ingestions among children aged up to 11 years.

While that’s cause for some concern, because their absolute numbers remain small, fears that legalization would lead to a significant health impact at the emergency room level weren’t realized, said one of its authors, Calgary physician Dr. Eddy Lang.

“On a percentage basis, they’re quite concerning, but the actual numbers didn’t turn into a huge tidal wave,” said emergency physician Lang, noting the study concludes three of every 1,000 emergency room visits involved cannabis.