Infant Death due to Cannabis Ingestion.
Donata Favretto, Antonello Cirnelli, Roberto Pertile, Raffaella Stimamiglio, Clara Cestonaro, Oriana Cuman, Anna Pagliaro, Fabio Mattiazzi, Cristina Basso, Maddalena Galeazzi
Drug Testing and Analysis May 21, 2025 DOI: 10.1002/dta.3904 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | Child |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Infant death THC Exposure Cannabis safety Pediatric toxicology Child poisoning Drug intoxication |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Acute cannabis intoxication, in the context of chronic exposure to multiple drugs, was considered responsible for the death of a child who ingested hashish. |
Abstract
A child died in the emergency room of a local hospital a few hours after ingesting a substance the color of cork and the consistency of earth. At home, a modest amount of resinous substance was found. At the hospital, the child exhibited alterations in walking, balance, and consciousness. Intubation was needed for the onset of dyspnea, so fentanyl and ketamine were administered during the procedure. A sample of blood was also collected for clinical investigation. During the autopsy, cadaveric samples were collected. Autopsy evaluation revealed multiorgan congestion in the brain, lung, liver, and kidney. Histological investigations were inconclusive. A thorough toxicological investigation was undertaken by immunochemical technique, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) on samples of blood, bile, urine, organs, gastric content, and head hair. Toxicological analysis detected cannabinoids, ketamine, norketamine, and fentanyl in blood drawn from the emergency room. Cannabinoids were also observed in postmortem central blood, peripheral blood, urine, bile, brain, lung, and liver samples. Hair analysis showed tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, cannabinol, methadone and metabolites, cocaine and metabolites, ketamine, morphine, 6-monoacetylmorphine, and fentanyl. Gastric content revealed traces of cannabis products. Acute cannabis intoxication in the context of chronic exposure to numerous drugs has been considered responsible for the death. An increasing number of intoxication cases are being reported worldwide due to the legalization of cannabis. In most cases, these are adults suffering from preexisting conditions, whereas data on younger individuals are still scarce. In this paper, the case of a child who died from acute intoxication due to ingestion of hashish is presented.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychotic Reactions Following Cannabis Use in East Indians Patients at an Indian drug addiction clinic who developed acute cannabis-related psychosis | 1974 | Descriptive report (case series of clinical observations) | n = 200 |
| Psychiatric effects of cannabis use Swedish cases of cannabis psychosis | 1985 | Case series | n = 70 |
| Forty-Six Cases of Psychosis in Cannabis Abusers Gunila Bernhardson Habitual cannabis users treated for psychosis at Swedish psychiatric clinics and mental... | 1972 | Case series (retrospective survey of psychiatric records) | n = 46 |
| Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder after psilocybin consumption: a case study 18-year-old man with HPPD after mixed psilocybin and cannabis intoxication | 2005 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Cannabis‐induced Koro in Americans American men aged 22-26 with years of cannabis experience who reported negative... | 2001 | Case series | n = 3 |