Recreational Drug Use Amongst Children and Adolescents Presenting to Australian Emergency Departments With Acute Behavioural Disturbance: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomised Controlled Trial

Bourke EM, Klein K, Selman CJ, Lee KJ, Kochar A, Shellshear D, Borland ML, George S et al.

Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA, 2026

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the historical and current use of recreational drugs by a trial cohort of youth presenting to the emergency department (ED) whilst experiencing acute behavioural disturbance (ABD).

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a randomised, controlled trial comparing medication management of ABD in children and adolescents aged nine to 17 years who were deemed to require oral sedative medication.

Results: Recreational drugs were used by 33% of participants any time prior to enrolment (115/348). Cannabis was the most commonly used (87/348, 25%), followed by amphetamines/methamphetamines (32/348, 9%) and benzodiazepines (26/348, 7%).

Conclusion: Recreational drug use may be a contributing factor to ABD amongst children and adolescents presenting to EDs.

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a secondary / pooled analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

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