151 the number of patients arriving at colorado hospitals and emergency rooms after marijuana exposure rose significantly after the drug was legalized and made available at retail shops according to a new report by the colorado department of public health the report details how the drugs legalization has affected state residents including rates of usage crime and effects on public health hospitalizations involving patients with possible marijuana exposures and diagnoses increased from approximately 803 per 100000 between 2001 and 2009 to 2413 per 100000 after marijuana was legalized and sold at retail stores according to the report which was unveiled monday recreational marijuana was legalized for sale on jan 1 2014 in colorado visits to emergency rooms also went up from an average of 739 per 100000 patients between 2010 and 2013 to 956 per 100000 after jan 1 2014 the authors used specific billing codes that are used by hospitals to identify cannabis exposure and hallucinogen poising they clarified that these codes do not prove that cannabis exposure was the main reason a patient was treated at the hospital use of these codes does not mean that the visit is motivated by marijuana exposure but simply that it is a possibility the study authors said leah still cancer still in remission mom receives gift of life from sons unexpected death transplant surgeon dances with patient on her wedding day after lifesaving operation dr andrew monte a toxicologist at the department of emergency medicine at the university of colorado said hes not surprised to see an increase of hospital and er visits related to marijuana use when the availability of any drug goes up you see more hospital visits said monte who was not involved in the new study that goes for a new high blood pressure drug to marijuana monte who cowrote a paper in the new england journal of medicine on marijuana tourism in february said there are usually three reasons people come to the er after using marijuana he said in his experience people come in for treatment if they exacerbate underlying symptoms with the drug for example irritating their lungs if they have asthma for cyclic vomiting related to high concentrations of thc ingestion and general intoxication from marijuana the smallest group is made up of people who come in intoxicated monte said we only see one or two for marijuana intoxication i would say disproportionately we see edible agents lead to more intoxication a 2014 opinion cowritten by monte and other physicians at university of colorado said their most pressing concern after marijuana legalization was in children who accidentally ingested marijuana the doctors reported they had 14 children admitted for marijuana exposure from september to december 2014 seven of these children ended up in the intensive care unit with the vast majority being treated after eating edible thc products doctors still see children admitted for ingesting edibles monte said but that there has been a public safety push to make parents aware about the