Should Doctors Prescribe Medical Marijuana For Kids?

By SheSpeaksTeam Feb 21, 2014

As more states relax and even lift their marijuana laws many are redefining their view on the plant derived drug. The use of marijuana for many medical conditions has been praised and even considered a lifesaver in some instances. Recent reports have even shown how kids have benefited from the drug.

NBC reports about how one family’s view of the drug totally changed after seeing their 10-year-old son’s medical condition improve.

Zaki Jackson suffered from a severe seizure condition from the age of 6 months. His mom Heather Jackson describes his condition which would sometimes include 250 seizures per day. She says, “He would stop breathing. All the air leaves his lungs and he does not take another breath until that seizure is over.”

Doctors prescribed many medications for Zaki with little results until after 10 years they were able to finally stabilize his illness with medical marijuana. Though many may be surprised that medical marijuana was considered to treat Zaki’s condition, he is among many children being treated with marijuana for conditions most commonly including cancer, autism, and seizures.

Though Heather Jackson admits she was unsure of the drug at first, she believes it is what’s now saving his life. She explains, “We are Christians. We are conservative. And we’re using medical marijuana. That’s a kind of big hump for people to get over. Despite the stigma associated with cannabis, we owed it to Zaki to give it a try.”

What do you think of the use of medical marijuana to treat children?

Do you think more states should consider legalizing the drug for medical purposes?

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Comments

by CoCoJo | ALVARADO, TX

Apr 02, 2014

It's a plant and many medical products are made from plants. If it can help someone then I don't see a problem with it. It isn't the same as smoking it!

by cheryllo | Unsubscribe, FL

Feb 25, 2014

I also want to add that when they prescribe Marijuana for children it is normally not the THC based Marijuana that people smoke. The THC levels are what make it more potent or possibly addictive. They normally break down the plant and it is given orally in liquid form by mouth or in food. Sometimes they are given it in butter or other products. They DO NOT smoke marijuana. I think that's very important for people to realize. A lot of people have visions of 2 year olds smoking pot and that's just no the case. I think every parent needs to have the right, along with their childs' doctor, to make the decision if they want to try it as opposed to the current medications that in a lot of these cases are not helping. They should be allowed to try any and all things to keep their child alive.

by cheryllo | Unsubscribe, FL

Feb 23, 2014

It should absolutely be prescribed, no matter the age, if it will help. They prescribe much more harmful and addictive medications to children already and most don't help much. I worked in a children's hospital in 1990 and many of the children back then were being treated, and still are, with cocaine and opiate (heroin) based medications. They are far more dangerous and doctors are too fast to write those prescriptions. Marijuana has been proven many times over to be more helful but the drug companies don't ant people to have access to it and keep money from their pockets, especially when a lot of pills are well over $100 each.

by cocoabella | EL PASO, TX

Feb 21, 2014

if it can be beneficial to a patient then yes, it should be administered. . No matter what their age. If there is a medicine that can help a patient it should not be withheld .. Especially not a natural medicine.

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