Treating children with cannabis may seem to be a queer idea, but this may well be the preferred treatment for some diseases in the future. Till date, treatment with cannabis oil is not an established idea, but more and more doctors are experimenting with it. In fact, the treatment with cannabis oil is in clinical stage but there is evidence from that itself that cannabis oil can be a very good option for some disease that don’t respond to certain medicines in a desirable way. In fact, a study published by the US National Library Of Medicine has pointed out that some constituents of cannabis can indeed have an ameliorative effect on children suffering from some specific diseases.

What is Cannabis?

It is a flowering plant that has been long used for a variety of purposes including medicinal ones. However, it is not easy to describe the plant. The species has got a number of strains each of which has a different composition. These varieties can be grouped into two broad categories – hemp and marijuana.

These are identical looking plants, but have different purposes of use since they contain different compounds in different percentages. The principal compounds in these two categories are CBD and THC. While THC is psychoactive, CBD is not. A psychoactive compound has an effect on the brain, i.e it can give you a high.

What is Cannabis oil?

It is a thick and sticky resinous substance extracted from the cannabis plant. It is obtained after separating the resinous substances from the cannabis flowers. This is done with the help of a solve extraction process. Cannabis oil is available in different concentrations of CBD and THC. High concentrations of CBD are prohibited in many states in the US.

However, you can get cannabis oil with very low concentration of THC and high concentration of CBD. Though both CBD and THC have beneficial properties for both adults and children, the use of THC in children is not at all advisable since it can precipitate convulsions in children. Studies have hinted at it. It can also result in a high in children. However, CBD may have beneficial properties for children suffering from a variety of disorders like seizures, anxiety, sleeplessness etc.

Cannabis sativa

This is the scientific name of what we normally call marijuana. Historically it has been used for recreational purposes, religious purposes, industrial use as well as medicine. When it comes to medicinal use the two main constituents of the plant are THC and CBD. These are known as cannabinoids. Although there are about 113 cannabinoids in the leaves and flowers of cannabis, the concentration of THC and CBD are the highest. Among the two prominent cannabinoids, THC has a psychoactive effect. This means it can give you a high because of its effect on the brain. However, CBD is not psychoactive, meaning that its consumption does not affect the functioning of the brain. The two compounds may also be called antagonistic to each other as CBD has been found to have the property to block THC in the nervous system.

Benefits and Side Effects of Cannabis Oil

Effect on children suffering from anxiety and sleep disorders

A study on the effect of cannabis on children suffering from anxiety and sleep disorders. Cannabidiol oil or CBD was used in this study. At the end of the study it was found that CBD was able to appreciably minimize the problem of anxiety and sleep disorder. It is pertinent to put the fact here that pharmaceutical formulations were giving only partial relief to the child in question.

Benefits to children

Studies so far indicate that cannabis oil may be effective on children suffering from anxiety, autism, seizures, epilepsy, sleeplessness and some other disorders.

The real picture

There are some states in USA which have legalized the use of cannabis oil for treatment. But there are very few doctors who would prescribe cannabis oil for children. So you need to search for one. You are lucky if you are in California, since it has legalized cannabis for recreational and medicinal purposes. You can get cannabis oil containing high concentration of CBD and low concentration of TCH and vice versa.

Side effects of cannabis oil

Though it has benefits, cannabis oil should be taken carefully. You must stick to high concentration CBD oil only, especially for children. High concentration TCH containing cannabis oil can enhance seizure disorders. It also has been found to have interactions with some drugs.

So do talk in detail to a doctor about this. Cardiovascular diseases can exacerbate due to intake of cannabis oil. The child may suffer from an irritation to lungs and may lead to bronchitis. He may also suffer from low concentration in studies.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_sativa

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5101100/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5101100/