MELBOURNE: Cannabis-related hospital admissions have surged as shocking new numbers reveal the drug’s growing strain on the healthcare system.
Admissions directly driven by the drug jumped by more than 49 per cent over a decade, with 7200 cases identified between 2013 and 2023 where the drug was responsible for the patients’ principal diagnosis.
Two in five admissions were for cannabis-induced psychosis, the Monash University research found, followed by harmful use (15.2 per cent) and withdrawal and poisoning (both 11.6 per cent).
A further 32,302 admissions where patients had experienced cannabis- related harm, but it did not cause their principal diagnosis, were also recorded, and again spiked by 50 per cent over the 10-year period.
The figures bring the number of all-cannabis related hospital admissions to almost 40,000 in 10 years.
A staggering two-thirds of admissions over the period required a days-long hospital stay, with a median stay of seven days. More than 1500 patients were admitted to ICU.
Men and boys were over-represented in the figures, but the number of female patients increased at a much higher rate and climbed by 75 per cent over the decade. In contrast, the number of male patients rose by 35 per cent. Lead author Myfanwy Graham said the findings represent a growing strain for hospitals.
“We’re seeing more people admitted to hospital with cannabis-related health problems, particularly severe mental health harms such as psychosis,” she said.
“Unlike emergency department visits, hospital admissions generally involve more serious or complex cases where patients need additional treatment or monitoring.
“The significant rise in hospitalisations among women and girls is particularly concerning, and highlights the urgent need for targeted, public health campaigns and earlier intervention strategies.”
The research, published in Addiction, analysed de-identified admission data spanning every private and public hospital in the state.
The study noted the true number of Victorians harmed by cannabis would be even higher, as patients who were treated via ambulance or the emergency department – without a subsequent hospital admission – were not included.
The increase comes after medicinal marijuana was legalised in Australia in 2016, and repeated warnings by medical bodies about a rise in cannabis- induced psychosis and online telehealth prescriptions.
The study cautioned that the rising admission rate was likely to be driven by several factors, including the impacts of Covid lockdowns in 2021 and noted admissions spiked that year.
The data did not distinguish between medicinal and illicit cannabis, they said, and further research was needed.
“This flags the need for targeted research and clinical attention to this emerging public health concern,” the study said.