According to the results of a new report, there has been a significant increase in the incidence of children dying by ingesting lethal amounts of drugs, including cannabis and opioids in Kentucky over the past five years. Specifically, the 2025 annual report from the Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel revealed that in 2024, a total of 11 children died from ingesting and overdosing on drugs, which corresponds to an increase of 104% over the past five years. In addition, there were 87 near-fatalities caused by drugs, resulting in 98 overall drug-related cases among children in Kentucky.
Furthermore, the report revealed that cannabinoids were shown as the most ingested substance in 2024, being present in 28% of cases. Fentanyl was the next most ingested substance and was found in 19% of the cases, followed by methamphetamine at 16%. It was also found that the rate of cannabinoid exposure to children in Kentucky has increased 720% in the last five years. The report findings also state that other leading causes of death in Kentucky children included neglect, which accounted for 57 deaths, and physical abuse, which resulted in 13 deaths and 42 near-fatalities.
The report was authored by a 22-member multidisciplinary panel, which determined that drug-related deaths are most common among children under four, and that exposure to lethal substances persists despite recommendations to various agencies. The panel issued several recommendations, including clarifying the definition of “child-resistant” packaging for medical cannabis to align with hemp-derived cannabinoid regulations, improving standardized guidelines to educate caregivers and providers on safe storage, and adding package warnings about potential harm or fatality for children.
Additional recommendations from the panel included launching a broader public safety campaign targeting all cannabinoid products and implementing a Kentucky Hospital Association training program on pediatric ingestions at the 2026 Trauma and Emergency Medicine Symposium. Finally, the panel also noted that only 34% of reviewed cases involved documented law enforcement action, such as charges for endangering the welfare of a minor or wanton endangerment.
