Safety of Cannabinoids used for Medical Purposes in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

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Definitions

Cannabinoid: a natural chemical found in cannabis plants like THC (delta9-tetrahydrocanabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol).

Medical cannabis: using a cannabinoid for a health reason.

Systematic Review: a process where experts gather and analyze all of the available research studies on a specific topic.

Meta-Analysis: combining and comparing the data from studies identified in the systematic review.

Randomized controlled trial (RCT): a test where people are randomly divided into groups to compare the effects of different treatments fairly.

Adverse event: a side effect or something that doesn’t feel right during the study. This could be related to cannabinoids or not.

What did we do?

We looked at 23 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 3612 participants that compared cannabinoids to other treatments to better understand side effects and reasons why people didn’t complete the research study.

What did we find?

Studies looked at different kinds of cannabinoids like purified CBD, nabilone, THC, and cannabis herbal extracts.

Study participants who received purified CBD reported higher rates of serious adverse events than those who did not.

Kids who used medical cannabis reported more side effects than those who didn’t, including:

feeling less hungry
increase in diarrhea
dry mouth
feeling sleepy
feeling overly happy
feeling dizzy
blurry vision
feeling very tired

Why is this important for doctors?

Doctors should be aware of what side effects have been reported when children are taking medical cannabis. Doctors should weigh the risks and benefits of cannabinoids and other available options, as well as the child’s underlying disease condition and prognosis. Long-term safety studies are needed.

Why is this important for families?

It is important for children and their caregivers to be able to identify side effects potentially related to medical cannabis. More education is needed for families about potential long-term risks of medical cannabis and on harm-reduction.

References

Chhabra M, Ben-Eltriki M, Mansell H, et al. Cannabinoids Used for Medical Purposes in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Pediatr. Published online September 16, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.3045

For more information, visit www.medcannkids.ca

Produced by Jessica Steer and Zina Zaslawski in September 2024.

C4T is an academic partnership. Funding details and COI are available on our website.

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