Kaitlyn Fitch

The article “Improving the Regulation of Medical Cannabis in Canada to Better Serve

Pediatric Patients” discusses the many benefits of cannabis use in children. These children are

chronically ill and in pain with various conditions like autism, cancer, and epilepsy. These

patients need some relief from pain and often resort to medical cannabis after all other treatments

have been attempted. A 2018 law, the Cannabis Act (Bill C-45) explains how only a nurse

practitioner, physician or licensed cannabis providers can authorize the use of medical cannabis

in children. This is a great effort to help control who is allowed to safely recommend medical

cannabis and who is not. This also lessens the risk of children receiving cannabis that has been

tampered with. Though this law was a step in the right direction, there is still not much

knowledge on the adverse effects of cannabis use in children. This is a big safety risk because

parents do not fully understand what to monitor for when their child is using this substance. A

big flaw with the cannabis use in Canada is who reports adverse effects and who does not.

Currently, only licensed cannabis providers are required to report side effects to Health Canada,

who oversees the medical cannabis distribution. Physicians and nurse practitioners are not

required to report adverse effects which could lead to many serious effects going unreported. The

dosing can also be an issue in children. As with most pediatric medications, cannabis is weight

dosed. Cannabis prescribed to children is mostly made up of extracts from the plant rather than

the dried portion itself. This means that the amount of dried portion used to create the extract can

be slightly different in each dose. Just the smallest alteration in any medication can have severe

effects on a child so I would imagine the same goes with cannabis. With stricter laws and

regulations being put in place comes higher costs for patients and families. Those desperate to try

anything to help their child in pain may turn to homemade cannabis which brings its own set of
challenges. Street recreational or homemade cannabis could potentially be laced with other

substances which could be fatal if administered, especially to a child.

With all this being said, I think funding, research and proper education is needed for

medical cannabis to be successful. The mystery of the adverse effects is what throws me off at

the moment. I would want to know what could potentially happen and how to handle it. I do

think the use of cannabis could be a great thing. There are many other studies explaining the

benefits in adults. In my opinion, there needs to be a lot more research and validation regarding

cannabis use in children but once there is, this substance can offer many children a pain free life.

If medical cannabis in pediatrics were to become a thing in the United States, I would hope that

all 50 states have allowed its use in adults before it’s given to children.