Skip to main content

Child Urinary Cannabinoids Elevated With In-Home Cannabis Smoking

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 30, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Jan. 30, 2025 -- In-home cannabis smoking is associated with significantly increased odds of child exposure to cannabis smoke, as assessed by urinary cannabinoid biomarkers, according to a study published online Jan. 23 in JAMA Network Open.

Osika Tripathi, Ph.D., from the San Diego State University School of Public Health, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study using baseline data from Project Fresh Air, a 2012 to 2016 randomized clinical trial, to examine the association of in-home cannabis smoking with urinary cannabinoids in children living at home.

The analysis included 275 children (mean age, 3.6 years). The researchers found that 29 households (10.6 percent) reported in-home cannabis smoking in the past seven days; 75 children (27.3 percent) had detectable urinary cannabinoids. Compared with households without, households with reported in-home cannabis smoking had significantly higher odds of detectable Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol equivalents (TTE) in children's urine (odds ratio, 5.0); increased odds were also seen with each additional ascertained daily cannabis smoking event (odds ratio, 2.5). Children with detectable urinary cannabinoids and exposure to more daily cannabis smoking events had a higher point estimate for TTE levels, although the difference was not significant.

"Our study suggests in-home cannabis smoking and children's secondhand cannabis smoke exposure are related," the authors write. "Investigation of how evolving cannabis regulatory environments impact in-home smoking patterns and potential increased child secondhand cannabis smoke exposure is essential."

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2025

Read this next

Women Have Higher Risk for COPD Than Men, Regardless of Smoking History

FRIDAY, May 9, 2025 -- Among adults aged 40 years and older, women have an increased risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study published online...

Higher Stress Tied to Worse Respiratory Outcomes With COPD

TUESDAY, May 6, 2025 -- Among former smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), higher perceived stress is associated with worse respiratory outcomes, according to...

Prevalence of Most Cancer Risk Factors Unchanged Before, After Pandemic

THURSDAY, April 24, 2025 -- Smoking rates continued to decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, but other major risk factors for cancer remained stable, according to a study...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.