Is Medical Marijuana Safe For Children?

Is medical marijuana safe for children? The only cannabis-derived medicine the FDA has approved is the prescription CBD drug Epidiolex, for seizures in three rare conditions in patients age 1 and older.

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

Parents want facts before deciding, so below is what a key trial found, the side effects, and what Florida and Nevada law allow.

For a seriously ill child, the question is which treatments have trial evidence behind them.

The evidence comes first below, then the law in Florida and Nevada.

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, the most popular being 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. The FDA has approved it only in prescription form, Epidiolex, for some rare seizure disorders, though it is 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.
• They gave the children a liquid-based form of CBD.
• 5% of the CBD group became free of convulsive seizures, 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 prescription form, Epidiolex, is FDA-approved for patients age 1 and older with Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or tuberous sclerosis complex.

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, and trials like the one above led to an FDA-approved prescription CBD drug for some rare epilepsies. For other conditions in children, the evidence is far thinner.

However, more research still needs to be done so that we understand the full impact of marijuana on children’s health, positive and negative.

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. All adults involved should weigh the risks versus the benefits, and act accordingly.

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.