Cannabis as A Medical Treatment for Children Alamogordo Public School Guidelines

With the normalization of cannabis into society AlamogordoTownNews.com, AlamogordoConservativeDaily.org and KALHradio.org has engaged in a series of articles related to Cannabis and its normalization.

Our recent article on a court case of guns and cannabis garnered over 32,000 readers and was shared over 1332 times. Cannabis and the adaptive approach by business, government and educational institutions is a case study social sciences and political science.

This article, the next in our series, is on medical cannabis and children. The risks and how school systems such as Alamogordo Public Schools implemented policies as a reaction to that normalization.

With the expansion of the use of cannabis in many state and close to home in New Mexico cannabis use and children‘s medical conditions has entered the dialog.

In Alamogordo specifically, Alamogordo Public Schools follows the state mandated guidelines as outlined in the attached link from APS.

“For occasions when it is necessary for a student to receive prescribed medical cannabis during the school day, the following procedures have been established to ensure the protection of Alamogordo Public Schools ("APS") and the student and to assure compliance with existing rules and regulations:

This policy does not apply to hemp, which is not subject to the same civil or criminal laws as cannabis or medical cannabis.”

https://www.alamogordoschools.org/core/fileparse.php/188/urlt/J-5400-Me… 

Cannabis a Safe Treatment for Children?

Research is limited the jury is out in full but what we do know is due to brain development it is risky. The idea of using cannabis as a medication for children is still an unconventional option for parents and doctors alike.

For many, cannabis is seen as a recreational tool, and nothing more. However, as we have learned over the past several years, cannabis has been useful for many debilitating or life-threatening conditions, including childhood epilepsy, cancer, autism, and attention deficit disorder/ attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD).

Here’s more on why cannabis could be a useful medication for children, and what side-effects it can have.

There is one excellent benefit to cannabis that doesn’t exist for most pharmaceutical drugs, which is that you cannot overdose on it. Even Tylenol and ibuprofenhave cases of deadly overdose, whereas there is no case of a death via overdose on cannabis alone. This means that cannabis has an excellent safety profile in adults.

One of the reasons why so many people are wary of the idea of cannabis for children is because of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is psychoactive. However, cannabis contains hundreds of cannabinoids, many of which are not intoxicating and are medically useful, such as cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabichromene (CBC). These cannabinoids have been useful for the treatment of epilepsy and cancer, and there is even the CBD-based Epidiolex available on prescription. 

This is a positive sign that the stigma around cannabis and children may be lessening.

Although it is generally wise to avoid using psychoactive substances like THC and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) for children, we should be aware that even low doses of psychoactive cannabinoids can be useful for treating chronic pain and nausea/vomiting associated with treatments like chemotherapy.

These cannabinoids could be an excellent alternative to opioid-based painkillers, which are also sometimes prescribed to children.

If we are willing to accept such addictive substances to be prescribed to children, why not cannabis?Amid changing legislation and attitudes related to marijuana and cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), some physicians are issuing medical marijuana permits for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder, targeting core autism symptoms or co-occurring emotional and behavioral problems.

However, there is no scientific evidence showing efficacy for these indications nor is there reliable information regarding potency, quantity, frequency, route of administration, duration, or age safe for use.

Caregivers, understandably seeking to help their child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, may turn to marijuana or cannabinoids in the context of unsubstantiated or distorted claims of efficacy and safety.

There are clear risks of harm for children and adolescents using marijuana and cannabinoids. Consistent marijuana use at an earlier age poses greater risk of long-lasting impairment on cognition, brain structure, and brain function, associated with a potentially irreversible decline in intelligence quotient. Long-term use of marijuana during adolescence is also associated with increased incidence and worsened course of psychotic, mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders.

Short-term use can impair working and short-term memory, learning, attention, coordination, perception, and judgment, and can cause paranoia, anxiety, and irritability. Furthermore, the concentration of THC in marijuana has significantly increased in recent years, posing higher risks of marijuana use.

Additionally, the products being sold in dispensaries currently are not subject to Food and Drug Administration standards and are not purely isolated cannabinoids; they are therefore not reliable in their potency/concentration of CBD or THC, or the inclusion of other ingredients.Exposing children and adolescents with developmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder to marijuana or cannabinoids could further increase the prevalence or severity of psychiatric disorders and intellectual disability in this highly-vulnerable population.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recommends against cannabis use in their general guidelines against the use of medical marijuana or isolated cannabinoids for core symptoms or co-occurring emotional or behavioral problems in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. That families should be educated about risks and discouraged from using marijuana and cannabinoids for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

That State and Federal legislators refrain from approving the use of marijuana and cannabinoids in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the absence of scientific evidence in the peer-reviewed medical literature.

How do other states handle medical cannabis in the schools?

Currently there are now twelve states and one capital city with comprehensive medical cannabis programs allowing medical cannabis in schools. New Mexico enacted legislation in 2019. Alamogordo Public Schools adopted their policy also in 2019.

All have twelve states successfully set forth rules and regulations for allowing safe access to medical cannabis while attending public schools.

No school or school district in the US has ever lost any federal funding for allowing safe access to medical cannabis at school, nor has there been any problems.

Cannabis use on a school campus is only allowed with a written medical plan.

The conclusion to date is it is a parental decision with medical advise in Alamogordo and in New Mexico. Medical use on children is risky for brain development yet effective in some extreme medical conditions such as cancer treatments.. 

Weigh the science when making medical decisions of cannabis use and children.

Source: American Pediatrics Association, State of New Mexico, Center for Disease Control, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

More News from Alamogordo

• New Mexico Cannabis Sales Exceed $1.3 Billion with a Call for More Legislation and Inspectors Alamogordo ranks 10th in the sate for marijuana sales.
• White Sands School nationally recognized as Exemplary High Performing School By Vanessa Flores, White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs - Guest Contributor