Experts continue to complete studies when it comes to using medicinal cannabis in children. There are children all across the world who are living with illnesses and diseases, and some of them can bring pain, discomfort, and symptoms. Childhood illnesses, like cancer, also involve treatment that is not comfortable for the child. Since the only thing everyone wants is for children to be healthy, happy, and comfortable, studies are constantly being done to see how the medical world can help children feel more comfortable, and if parents are trying to see a more “natural” approach, they may wonder about marijuana.
Marijuana is used medically for adults to help with everything from cancer to anxiety, and there have been some promising results. According to Medical Xpress and EurekAlert, studies continue to be done to see what the effects could be for children, but it is not always as easy as it may seem.
There are instances of children using cannabis as a treatment, but studies continue to look at the benefits and safety of this treatment. A research team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has completed a study to better understand the risks and benefits of using medical cannabis in children.
The research team found that cannabis was extremely successful as a treatment for side effects of chemotherapy in children as well as epilepsy, but the side effects with the treatment are still in question. The reason that the side effects are not well known yet is that there have not been enough studies done on it to make a conclusive answer.
Medical cannabis is not recognized as an accepted or regulated treatment drug, so that is why there are not many studies done on it. There were some things that they discovered with their study.
They found that while cannabis helped reduce the number of seizures in children with epilepsy, it decreased their appetite, leading them to not eat as much which can be damaging. They also found that a lot of the ingredients in a cannabis plant can affect a child’s mental health, it can cause fatigue, apathy, dizziness, and lethargy.
The researchers say that this is hard for them to narrow down because children are not just small adults, and cannabis will work differently with children than it will with adults. The study on cannabis in children is still considered in its “infancy” but this is promising that more studies may be coming.
Sources: Medical Xpress, Eureka Alert