Grant: Project Grant

Following the legalization of cannabis, there has been a significant increase in the number of young children getting sick from accidentally eating cannabis products. This is called accidental pediatric cannabis intoxication (PCI). In Canada, about a third of all hospital visits for children under 9 due to poisoning are because of cannabis. In one province, the number of children under 11 getting sick from cannabis edibles jumped from about 5 per 100,000 children in 2016 to over 140 per 100,000 children in 2021. Getting poisoned by cannabis can be very serious and can cause a child to have brain problems, trouble breathing, or even go into a coma. We want to help families by creating tools that give them the information they need to keep their kids safe. We will work with parents to create these tools. Our team has a lot of experience developing resources for parents to help them with healthcare decision making. We will use our established multistep process to codevelop these resources with parents. First, we will look at what other studies have found about parents' experiences and what information they need. Then we will interview parents to hear their stories and learn more about their experiences. Next, we will use what we learn from our research and from talking to parents to create new educational tools. Finally, we'll get feedback from parents on the new tools. To date, we have created more than 40 educational tools for parents that have been used by hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Our team includes experts in child health, and knowledge translation. Accidental cannabis poisoning in children is a growing problem that can cause serious health issues. By working with parents to create and share new educational tools, we hope to help thousands of families in Canada and beyond. This will help them keep their children safe and also help reduce the burden on our healthcare system.