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Brief report
Cannabis in homes with children: use and storage practices in a legalised state
  1. Ashley Brooks-Russell1,
  2. Katelyn Hall2,
  3. Anne Peterson2,
  4. Janessa Graves3,
  5. Mike Van Dyke2
  1. 1 Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
  2. 2 Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver, Colorado, USA
  3. 3 College of Nursing, Washington State University, Spokane, Washington, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Ashley Brooks-Russell, Community and Behavioral Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Ashley.Brooks-Russell{at}ucdenver.edu

Abstract

Our objective was to examine the prevalence of cannabis in homes with children and temporal trends in storage practices among caregivers. Caregivers of children ages 1–14 in Colorado, identified through a representative population-based telephone survey, participated in a repeated telephone survey from 2014 to 2017. Representing 79 805 households in Colorado with children, 8.6% (95% CI 7.3 to 10.0) of caregivers reported cannabis in the home. From 2014 to 2017, the prevalence of reporting cannabis in the home increased significantly from 6.9% to 11.2% (p=0.02). Among caregivers who reported cannabis in the home, 91.4% reported storage locations inaccessible to children, such as ‘out of reach’. Fewer, 67.0%, caregivers reported storage in a locked container, such as a cabinet, drawer or safe. In a state with recreational cannabis, an increasing number of children live in homes where cannabis is present. Public health practitioners should promote messages to caregivers about safe cannabis storage practices.

  • marijuana
  • cannabis
  • cannabis diversion
  • unintentional ingestion
  • legalized cannabis

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2019-043318

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    Footnotes

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent for publication Not required.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.