Pubdate: Mon, 26 Jan 2015
Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI)
Copyright: 2015 Associated Press
Contact: 
http://www.staradvertiser.com/info/Star-Advertiser_Letter_to_the_Editor.html
Website: http://www.staradvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5154

GROUP OKS MEDICAL POT FOR SICK KIDS AS LAST RESORT

(AP) - With virtually no hard proof that medical marijuana benefits 
sick children, and evidence that it could harm developing brains, the 
drug should only be used for severely ill kids who have no other 
treatment option, the nation's most influential pediatricians group 
says in a new policy.

Some parents insist medical marijuana has cured their kids' 
troublesome seizures or led to other improvements, but the American 
Academy of Pediatrics' new policy says rigorous research is needed to 
verify those claims.

The academy's qualified support might lead more pediatricians to 
prescribe medical marijuana, but the group says pediatric use should 
only be considered "for children with life-limiting or severely 
debilitating conditions and for whom current therapies are inadequate."

The academy also repeated its previous advice against legalizing 
marijuana for recreational use by adults.

Studies have linked recreational marijuana use in kids with ill 
effects on health and brain development, including problems with 
memory, concentration, attention, judgment and reaction time, the 
group's policy emphasizes.

The policy was published online Monday in Pediatrics.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom