Parents pursued medical cannabis for seriously ill children despite obstacles and lack of medical guidance | Research

The takeaway

Interviews with 10 parents of children with cancer or epilepsy at a Canadian hospital revealed they pursued medical cannabis out of desperation, navigated inconsistent information, and perceived it as both a medicine and a natural product.

Pediatric oncologists, pediatric neurologists, parents of children with severe illness, medical cannabis policy makers

Parents relied on social media, industry, and peer networks rather than healthcare providers

What the researchers found

Five themes emerged: 1) parents sought cannabis as a last resort for severely ill children; 2) information came from social media, industry, and other families rather than healthcare providers; 3) cannabis was viewed ambiguously as both a serious drug needing medical oversight and a safe natural product; 4) parents perceived medical benefits with few adverse effect concerns; 5) high costs and uncertain legality were barriers but did not stop use.

Why it matters

Parents of seriously ill children are making medical cannabis decisions largely without professional guidance. Their reliance on social media, industry, and peer networks for information creates risks of misinformation and inappropriate use.

The numbers in context

10 interviews; 9 mothers, 1 couple; children aged 22 months to 16 years; 6 used for epilepsy, 4 for chemotherapy; 5 major themes identified

How the study worked

Qualitative study with semistructured interviews of 10 parents (9 mothers, 1 couple) of children at BC Children's Hospital oncology or palliative care clinics who used medical cannabis. Children ranged from 22 months to 16 years. Thematic analysis using qualitative description.

What this study cannot tell us

Small qualitative sample (10 interviews) at one hospital. Self-selected parents willing to discuss cannabis use. Cannot generalize to all families using medical cannabis for children. Social desirability bias possible.

How to read the evidence

Qualitative study providing rich descriptive data on family decision-making, but small sample limits generalizability.

When this study was published

Published in 2021 using April-July 2019 interviews.

The bigger picture

The gap between parental desperation and medical knowledge creates a situation where families make complex pharmacological decisions with minimal professional support. Developing pediatric medical cannabis guidelines would help bridge this gap.

Questions still open

What would effective pediatric medical cannabis guidelines look like? How can healthcare providers bridge the information gap without oversimplifying the evidence?

Common questions

Why did parents use medical cannabis for their children?

Parents described it as a last resort for severely ill children. They felt desperation and parental responsibility to try everything available. The primary reasons were epilepsy (6 children) or managing chemotherapy side effects (4 children).

Where did parents get information?

Primarily from social media, cannabis industry sources, and other families. Healthcare providers were largely absent from the information landscape, leaving parents to navigate complex decisions with potentially biased or incomplete sources.

Read the original research

Family attitudes about and experiences with medical cannabis in children with cancer or epilepsy: an exploratory qualitative study.

CMAJ open, 9(2), E563-E569

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Gibbard, Marissa; Mount, Dawn; Rassekh, Shahrad R; Siden, Harold Hal. (2021). Family attitudes about and experiences with medical cannabis in children with cancer or epilepsy: an exploratory qualitative study.. CMAJ open, 9(2), E563-E569. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20200212