Poison Prevention Week was endorsed by the United States congress in 1961, and was designated to take place the third week in March.

Poison Centres in Canada began to promote Poison Prevention Week, during this same week, in the early 1980s.

A Canadian strategy was first discussed at one of the annual Canadian Association of Poison Control Centre (CAPCC) meetings in the early 1990s. Initial talks centred around taking an inventory of all Canadian poison prevention materials. At this time each Canadian centre planned poison prevention events within their province or region.

In 2004 the CAPCC organized the first national Poison Prevention Week in Canada.