Removing barriers to accessing medical cannabis for paediatric patients

Richard J Huntsman; Jesse Elliott; Evan Lewis; Charlotte Moore-Hepburn; Jane Alcorn; Holly Mansell; Juan P Appendino; Richard E Bélanger; Scott Corley; Bruce Crooks; AnneMarie M Denny; Yaron Finkelstein; Allen Finley; Ryan Fung; Andrea Gilpin; Catherine Litalien; Julia Jacobs; Timothy F Oberlander; Ashley Palm; Jacob Palm; Monika Polewicz; Declan Quinn; S Rod Rassekh; Alexander Repetski; Michael J Rieder; Amy Robson-McKay; Blair Seifert; Alan Shackelford; Hal Siden; Michael Szafron; Geert 't Jong; Régis Vaillancourt; Lauren E Kelly

doi:10.1093/pch/pxac129

Removing barriers to accessing medical cannabis for paediatric patients

Paediatr Child Health. 2023 Mar 31;29(1):12-16. doi: 10.1093/pch/pxac129. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Authors

Richard J Huntsman¹, Jesse Elliott², Evan Lewis³, Charlotte Moore-Hepburn⁴, Jane Alcorn⁵, Holly Mansell⁵, Juan P Appendino⁶, Richard E Bélanger⁷, Scott Corley⁸, Bruce Crooks⁹, AnneMarie M Denny¹, Yaron Finkelstein¹⁰, Allen Finley¹¹, Ryan Fung¹², Andrea Gilpin¹³, Catherine Litalien¹⁴, Julia Jacobs⁶, Timothy F Oberlander¹⁵, Ashley Palm¹⁶, Jacob Palm¹⁶, Monika Polewicz¹⁷, Declan Quinn¹⁸, S Rod Rassekh¹⁹, Alexander Repetski¹⁶, Michael J Rieder²⁰, Amy Robson-McKay²¹, Blair Seifert¹², Alan Shackelford²², Hal Siden²³, Michael Szafron²⁴, Geert 't Jong²⁵, Régis Vaillancourt²⁶, Lauren E Kelly²⁷

Affiliations

¹ Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
² Independent Researcher, Canadian Collaborative for Childhood Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
³ Neurology Center of Toronto and Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
⁵ College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
⁶ Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
⁷ Départment de Pédiatrie, Faculté de medicine, Université de Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada.
⁸ Cannabinoid Research Initiative of Saskatchewan, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
⁹ Division of Paediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
¹⁰ Divisions of Emergency Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
¹¹ Departments of Anesthesia and Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
¹² Department of Pediatric Pharmacy, Saskatchewan Health Authority, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
¹³ The Rosalind and Morris Goodman Family Pediatrics Formulation Centre of the CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
¹⁴ Département de Pédiatrie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, and The Rosalind and Morris Goodman Family Pediatric Formulation Centre of the CHU Sainte Justine, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
¹⁵ Department of Pediatrics and School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
¹⁶ Parent Advocate, Canadian Collaborative for Childhood Cannabinoid Therapeutics, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
¹⁷ Division of Pediatric Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
¹⁸ Division of Pediatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
¹⁹ Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
²⁰ Division of Pediatric Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
²¹ Division of Pediatric Psychiatry, Department of Pediatrics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
²² Amarimed of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA.
²³ Division of Palliative Care, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
²⁴ School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
²⁵ Departments of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
²⁶ Department of Pediatric Pharmacy, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
²⁷ George and Fay Yee Centre for Health Care Innovation and Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Department of Pediatrics & Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Abstract

Medical cannabis (MC) may offer therapeutic benefits for children with complex neurological conditions and chronic diseases. In Canada, parents, and caregivers frequently report encountering barriers when accessing MC for their children. These include negative preconceived notions about risks and benefits, challenges connecting with a knowledgeable healthcare provider (HCP), the high cost of MC products, and navigating MC product shortages. In this manuscript, we explore several of these barriers and provide recommendations to decision-makers to enable a family-centered and evidence-based approach to MC medicine and research for children.

Keywords: Canada; Health Canada; Medical Cannabis; Paediatric.