Nearly half of pediatricians have cannabis-using patients

Nearly half of pediatricians surveyed about cannabis revealed that they have had at least one young patient who had used marijuana for medical reasons.

The study conducted for the Canadian Pediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) indicates that 419 of the 835 respondents had a patient who had used cannabis, obtained legally or illegally, to remedy a health problem.

The poll, which was released on Thursday, does not provide details on the number of cases involving illegally obtained marijuana, the nature of the issues being treated, or the age of the patients. But senior researcher Richard Bélanger said he was surprised by the number of young cannabis users and said the revelation underscores the importance of providing more information to doctors, parents and patients.

Bélanger, a pediatrician who practices at the Centre mère-enfant Soleil at the CHU de Québec and is an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics of the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University, notes that more than a third of the pediatricians surveyed, or 316 doctors, confirmed having received a request from a parent or adolescent patient for a cannabis prescription.

Only 34 physicians actually reported prescribing the drug, while most of the rest expressed concerns about the efficacy of marijuana and its impact on young developing brains, as well as concerns about the risks of abuse and addiction. .

The study was conducted in the spring of 2017 as part of a broader CPSP investigation into a series of sensitive issues, including Lyme disease, Zika virus, and eating disorders.

According to Mr. Bélanger, researchers were surprised to see that so many children and teenagers appeared to be using marijuana for medical reasons.

"We thought it was less than that," he says. “The most important message here is that cannabis is not just an issue for adults, whether for recreational or medical use. Sometimes, when we consider this treatment, we tend to forget about children and that should not be the case."

Bélanger said he suspects that children who have been prescribed marijuana were suffering from a variety of illnesses, including refractory epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and chronic pain, while teenagers were likely using illegally obtained cannabis to treat other problems such as anxiety and depression.

The survey also found that the vast majority of respondents had little or no knowledge as to when and why marijuana could be prescribed to a child or youth, as well as products available and doses required.

Although medicinal marijuana has been available since 2001, Bélanger says many questions remain unanswered.

"It's a hot topic," he said. There is ample room for the Canadian Pediatric Society or other associations or authorities to provide more information about the possible benefits and likely adverse effects that may be associated with the medical use of cannabis. "