THE FUSE

On September 3, 2026, CDC investigators reported that cannabis was detected in 21 percent of 209,166 overdose deaths from January 2021 to June 2025 in 31 states and the District of Columbia. But the adolescent finding was more startling. Among 12- to 17-year-olds who died of an overdose, cannabis was identified in 42.7 percent of cases—the highest percentage of any age group. In almost 9 of 10 cannabis-positive adolescent deaths, fentanyl was involved. The trend was more alarming. The most recent six-month data (January–June 2025) reported that cannabis was detected in 44.6 percent of overdose deaths in adolescents ages 12–17—up from 35.9 percent in 2024.