Pot-Related ER Visits Spike On LI, Especially For Seniors: ER Doctor

BAY SHORE, NY — Visits to Northwell Health emergency rooms on Long Island due to marijuana are spiking across Long Island — especially for older adults.

That's according to the chair of emergency medicine at South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore.

Dr. Sanjey Gupta told Patch he started noticing rising pot-related visits around five years ago, as the consumption of THC-products and marijuana expanded, and the drug became decriminalized. The potency of pot has changed drastically, he said, and recent studies show a three-fold increase in the average amount of THC in marijuana from the 1980s and 1990s.

In seniors, over-using marijuana can lead to several emergent issues, including difficult-to-treat cyclic vomiting, and even cardiac issues like heart palpitations.

"Marijuana is just not the same drug as it was in the past," Gupta explained.

"There is so much more THC in marijuana across the board — it's just not the same drug, or medication that many people are used to."

The negative consequences can come from both chronic over-use of THC, Gupta said, or a one-time acute overcompensation.

In the senior population, patients may be on other medications, or more sensitive to all substances, and can suffer from confusion, falls and anxiety from sustained over-use, he pointed out.

Gupta thinks that increased public education is needed for people to understand possible side effects of THC, and guidance on dosage. Edibles are another product that he said can lead patients to easily take too much when they aren't aware of the delayed effect ingesting THC has. As marijuana consumption expands, Gupta reasoned, the more people with less experience and knowledge about dosing and effects will be using it.

"What gets dangerous is that oils and other products can be up to 70, 80 percent THC," the active ingredient in marijuana responsible for its effects.

Overdosing or overusing THC can even cause psychosis, Gupta said.

"I've been in emergency medicine for 20 years," he said, "and I've never seen this many visits for marijuana before."