Is Medical Marijuana Safe For Children?

Is medical marijuana safe for children? For most uses, there is not enough evidence to say. The FDA has approved one cannabis-derived medicine, the prescription CBD drug Epidiolex, which its FDA label covers for seizures in three rare conditions in patients age 1 and older, and the FDA warns that CBD can cause liver injury.

CDC warns that cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood may harm the developing brain.

For a seriously ill child, the question is which treatments have trial evidence behind them, so below is what a key trial found and its side effects, then what Florida and Nevada law allow.

In Florida, adults with qualifying conditions such as cancer and epilepsy can be certified for medical marijuana. But what about children?

Controlled trials that included children as young as 1 and 2 years old led the FDA to approve prescription CBD, Epidiolex, for seizures in Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or tuberous sclerosis complex. For other uses the evidence is thin, and NIDA links regular, heavy teen cannabis use to problems with memory and school performance.

Certain Medical Marijuana Treatments Don’t Get You “High”

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found in the marijuana plant. It belongs to a class of chemical compounds known as cannabinoids, which also includes tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

THC is responsible for the “high” feeling you get when you consume marijuana. CBD, on the other hand, is non-psychoactive. It won’t make you feel high. Apart from its approved use in Epidiolex, CBD has been studied for:

• pain relief
• anti-seizure
• anti-nausea
• anti-inflammation

CBD-Based Medicine and Epilepsy in Children: What a Trial Found

In a 2017 randomized trial of 120 children and young adults with Dravet syndrome, CBD oral solution cut monthly convulsive seizures from a median of 12.4 to 5.9, versus 14.9 to 14.1 on placebo.

• The patients had Dravet syndrome and seizures that other drugs had not controlled.
• Both groups stayed on their usual epilepsy drugs during the trial.
• 5% of the CBD group became seizure-free, compared with none on placebo, a difference that was not statistically significant.
• Side effects were more common with CBD, including diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, fever, sleepiness and abnormal liver tests.
• More patients withdrew from the trial in the CBD group.
• The trial compared CBD with placebo, not with other epilepsy drugs, so it cannot show CBD is as safe as they are.
• The Epidiolex label lists a 120-patient Dravet syndrome trial among the studies behind its FDA approval.

Here’s a short video in which one family describes using CBD oil for their son’s seizures; it is their story, not a study.

More Stories From Families Who Used Cannabis

Here’s a news story about a 7-year-old girl with leukemia whose parents gave her medical cannabis for nausea and pain during chemotherapy. She was in remission after cancer treatment, and the story does not show cannabis caused it.

The report also raises a real concern: NIDA says regular, heavy cannabis use in adolescence is linked to problems with memory, processing speed and school performance, and CDC says addiction risk is greater for people who start before 18.

So, Is Medical Marijuana Safe for Children?

Families share many stories, but a story is not a trial and cannot show whether a treatment is safe. For other conditions in children, the evidence is far thinner.

More research is needed on how marijuana affects children’s health, both its risks and any benefits.

Parents should know that the only FDA-approved CBD product is a prescription drug for certain rare seizure disorders, and that CBD products sold in stores are not FDA-approved.

In Florida, a minor’s certification needs a second physician’s agreement, written parent or guardian consent and a caregiver, who alone may buy the medicine, so talk with a physician first. Parents and physicians weigh the possible risks and benefits together.

What You Need to Know About Becoming a Medical Marijuana Caregiver For Your Child

• In Nevada, patients age 10 to 17 can get a registry card, and children under 10 a letter of approval, with a custodial parent or guardian’s statement.
• For a minor, the parent serves as the designated primary caregiver.
• A designated primary caregiver must be 18 or older, and each patient may have only one caregiver.
• The patient’s attending provider must approve the caregiver designation, and the caregiver’s name, address and telephone number go on the patient’s application. A caregiver may also be named after the patient has applied.
• Once the state approves the person for caregiver status, that person will receive a registration card, allowing them to purchase marijuana for the patient. For a minor, the custodial parent or guardian must also agree to control how the child gets cannabis and the dosage and frequency of use.

Are you weighing medical marijuana for your child, or already a caregiver for a patient? Talk it through with your child’s doctor first, and bring your questions to that visit.

If you have questions about becoming a caregiver for a Nevada medical marijuana patient, call our Las Vegas office at (702) 707-2414. For a minor, Nevada requires the attending provider who signs the application to be a Nevada-licensed physician.

Last updated October 16, 2026 by the Dr. Green Relief Editorial Team.

Sources

• FDA. FDA and Cannabis: Research and Drug Approval Process
• DailyMed. EPIDIOLEX (cannabidiol) oral solution, prescribing information
• FDA. What You Need to Know (And What We’re Working to Find Out) About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-derived Compounds, Including CBD
• Devinsky O, et al. Trial of Cannabidiol for Drug-Resistant Seizures in the Dravet Syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2017 (PubMed)
• NIDA. Cannabis (Marijuana)
• CDC. Cannabis and Teens (February 15, 2024)
• CDC. Cannabis Facts and Stats (March 7, 2025)
• The 2026 Florida Statutes, s. 381.986, Medical use of marijuana (Florida Senate)
• Nevada Revised Statutes, chapter 678C, Medical Use of Cannabis