Children and Youth Who Use Cannabis for Pain Relief: Benefits, Risks, and Perceptions.
Julia J WooEmma Alaine van ReekumTea RosicZainab SamaanPublished in: Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics (2020)
We provide up-to-date perspectives on the benefits and risks of medical cannabis for pain management in children and youth. To date, only two studies (a case report and a small observational study) have examined the effects of medical cannabis on pain in children and youth. No controlled trial has commented on long-term safety of medical cannabis. Findings from the recreational cannabis literature reveal significant potential short- and long-term risks of regular cannabis use, including impaired driving, depression, suicidality, psychosis, and tolerance. Despite this, many children and youth are self-medicating with cannabis, and perceive regular cannabis use to be safe. There is a need for better education and counselling of patients regarding the benefits and risks of medical cannabis use.
Keyphrases
- young adults
- pain management
- healthcare
- chronic pain
- human health
- mental health
- physical activity
- end stage renal disease
- chronic kidney disease
- systematic review
- primary care
- depressive symptoms
- neuropathic pain
- newly diagnosed
- ejection fraction
- risk assessment
- prognostic factors
- genome wide
- spinal cord
- gene expression
- clinical trial
- smoking cessation
- hiv infected
- patient reported
- case control