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Is medical cannabis safe and effective as a treatment for children?
This week, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem shared the results of a first-ever meta-analysis of pediatric patients treated with medical cannabis.
They presented their findings at the 31st Annual Symposium of the International Cannabinoid Research Society held at the Multidisciplinary Cannabinoid Research Center of HU.
Principal investigator Professor Ilan Matok from HU School of Pharmacy explained: “Since medical cannabis is not widely recognized as an accepted or regulated drug, there simply has not been enough studies to find out if it is appropriate for children. “
The team, led by doctoral student Nir Treves, analyzed seven clinical studies involving around 500 patients under the age of 18.
They discovered the positive and negative effects of medical cannabis on children’s mental and physical health.
For example, the team found that treatment with medical cannabis reduced the severity of nausea and vomiting in children undergoing chemotherapy.
They also found that the CBD (cannabidiol) component of cannabis is effective in reducing the number of severe seizures in children, especially those with difficult-to-treat epilepsy. However, CBD also significantly suppresses their appetite.
In addition, they found that several compounds in medical cannabis can cause fatigue, listlessness, dizziness and lethargy in children.
“Children are not little adults,” said Matok. “Medical cannabis affects children differently, and doctors need to pay special attention to these differences.”
Matok’s next research project is to see whether medical cannabis influences childhood depression, cardiovascular incidents and involvement in pedestrian accidents.
“The aim of our meta-analysis is to shed light on this area and provide physicians and parents with a more informed view of the potential of cannabis to help or harm their young patients,” Matok concluded.
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