Should Pot Be Given to Kids with Cancer or Epilepsy?

Is it ok to get kids stoned for medicinal purposes?

This is an ongoing topic of debate and can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, some may feel that getting children high off of medical marijuana may have negative moral and possibly physical repercussions. However, on the other hand, others argue that if it helps sick children, particularly those with cancer, feel better and get better, then it is worth it.

WHAT IS MARIJUANA REALLY?

According to Drugs.com, marijuana (cannabis) is a hemp plant with the botanical name of Cannabis sativa. For use, the plants' stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds are dried and shredded.

Check out all the different names for it. I only knew a few of these.

Other common names for marijuana: "weed, pot, herb, bud, dope, spliff, reefer, grass, ganja, 420, chronic, Mary Jane, gangster, boom, skunk. There are over 200 street names for marijuana". What? They forgot 'joint'.

Anyway.

This subject came to my mind after watching this 15 minute YouTube video by WEEDIQUETTE. It's very interesting. Check it out and see if it matches your opinion on this subject.

Ok, so what's your take on this video and this subject?

While you're getting your thoughts together, I'll tell you mine.

Cancer is not the only disease in children that can be successfully treated with medical marijuana (cannabis). A particularly devastating form of epilepsy in children, called Dravet’s Syndrome, which is resistant to treatments that are currently approved for it, can be successfully treated with cannabis as well. Children suffering from Dravet's Syndrome have as many as hundreds of seizures every day, and they get worse as they get older, which is often life-threatening. Current treatments for this are for children to wear eye patches, special diets, and brain surgery, with not so promising success rates.

Look, if we can give children medicines like opioids and other narcotics that are made from plants that mimic the effects of heroin, then why can we not give them medicines made from the marijuana plant that does not mimic the effects of heroin? Opioids only cover up pain for a while but often do not add an additional quality of life or health benefits to a patient.

There is mounting evidence of the medicinal properties in the marijuana plant, and this evidence is amazing.

I am 100% for medicinal marijuana, including for children.

CONCERNS ABOUT CHILDREN BEING HIGH OFF OF MARIJUANA

This is a legitimate concern. But, as shown in the video, the children should be closely monitored and their treatments should be very controlled. Also, medicinal marijuana does not necessarily have to contain too much of the ingredient that makes someone high, which is THC, a psychoactive ingredient. Another active ingredient in marijuana is CBD , which is an acronym for cannabidiol. Promising research shows that CBD has anti-anxiety, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties and other properties that promote healing and it does not cause psychoactive effects like THC.

Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN, a neurosurgeon and, in my opinion, a foremost authority on medical issues, sums up THC and CBD in this short video found on CNN's website.

The little girl he was talking about in the video is Charlotte Figi, you may have heard of her or the medicinal marijuana tincture named after her called "Charlotte's Web". The next video explains.

If my child was suffering from something that could be helped with cannibis, I would use it, and if it were still illegal where I lived, I would move to where it was not illegal, rather than have my child live in misery and possibly die from it. It's just not necessary.

Thoughts?

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Images from Creative Commons

Sources:
Drugs.com
DrugAbuse.gov
DravetFoundation.org
CNN.com
#marijuana
#health
#natural
#life

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