For Immediate Release 

Kansas Sees Alarming Rise in Child Drug Deaths Amid Statewide Enforcement Efforts

TOPEKA — (Oct. 8, 2026) — The Kansas State Child Death Review Board (SCDRB), under the Office of the Attorney General, has released its 2025 Annual Report analyzing the deaths of Kansas children. Key findings from the 2025 report include:

• In 2023, 361 Kansas children died before their 18th birthday. Over half were infants.
• Despite a slight decline in the child death rate in 2023, Kansas continues to experience child mortality rates above the national average.
• More infants died from sleep-related sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) than from any other non-natural cause across all age groups.
• Homicides resulting from child abuse or neglect have increased sharply, with 12 confirmed child abuse homicides in 2023, three times higher than the 4 recorded in 2022.
• Suicide remains a leading cause of death for youth ages 10-17, at rates above the national average.
• A significant portion (37%) of children who died between 2019-2023 had prior involvement with DCF child protective services.
The report also calls attention to the growing threat posed to Kansas children by illegal drugs, including fentanyl and marijuana products.
• Drug-related deaths among Kansas children are surging, with 65 deaths of children recorded due to overdoses between 2019-2023.
• Fentanyl is now the most lethal threat, responsible for 48 child deaths between 2020 and 2023, up from zero just four years prior.
• Marijuana remains the most commonly detected substance in toxicology findings of children at the time of their death. In 2023 alone, 23% of children tested were positive for marijuana, many in combination with other dangerous substances. Notably, 42% of children who died from drug-related causes also tested positive for marijuana.

Toxicology findings related to the 180 child deaths from motor vehicle crashes (MVC) between 2019 and 2023 further highlight the role of substance use, which has contributed to Kansas child death rates from MVCs exceeding U.S. rates. Among cases in which toxicology testing was conducted at the time of the child’s death:

• 29% of minor drivers tested positive for drugs or alcohol;18% tested positive for marijuana specifically
• 14% of child passengers tested positive for drugs or alcohol
• When the child who died was a passenger, the driver of their vehicle tested positive for drugs or alcohol in 47% of cases, with marijuana identified in 14%

“In the three decades since the establishment of the State Child Death Review Board, we have reviewed the tragic loss of over 13,000 Kansas children. Every number in this report represents a young life lost and a family forever changed,” said Sara Hortenstine, the Board’s Executive Director. “We must do everything possible to prevent these tragedies, including holding those who endanger children through illegal drug activity fully accountable.”

The release of these findings comes just days after the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), in coordination with the Attorney General’s Office, and local law enforcement, executed a series of statewide raids on vape shops and dispensaries selling illegal marijuana products, THC vape cartridges, and other prohibited products. Many of these items were marketed and sold in ways that made them easily accessible to youth.

Attorney General Kris Kobach emphasized the stakes.

“Illegal substances are infiltrating our communities, endangering vulnerable children and families. The tragic increase in drug-related child deaths, especially from fentanyl and marijuana-based products, reinforces why strong enforcement and prevention remain top priorities,” Kobach said.

The State Child Death Review Board is a multidisciplinary, multi-agency volunteer board established by law within the attorney general’s office to examine trends and patterns that identify risk factors in the deaths of children from birth through 17 years of age. The report is available on the attorney general’s website at https://ag.ks.gov/scdrb.