Ninety-two percent of physicians who treat pediatric cancer are willing to consider providing access to medical marijuana for child cancer patients, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.
To assess physician perspectives on medical marijuana use for pediatric cancer patients, researchers sent surveys to 654 pediatric oncologists across Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington. Forty-eight percent (288) of the physicians responded. While 92 percent of respondents said they were willing to consider helping pediatric cancer patients gain access to medical marijuana, providers legally eligible to certify use of medical marijuana were less likely to endorse the medication.
"It is not surprising that providers who are eligible to certify for medical marijuana were more cautious about recommending it, given that their licensure could be jeopardized due to federal prohibition," said Kelly Michelson, MD, a critical care physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and one of the study's authors. "Institutional policies also may have influenced their attitudes. Lurie Children's, for example, prohibits pediatric providers from facilitating medical marijuana access in accordance with the federal law, even though it is legal in Illinois."
Additionally, just 2 percent of respondents said medical marijuana was never appropriate for use in children, and 63 percent said they were not concerned about substance use issues in children prescribed medical marijuana. Survey participants identified a lack of standards on formulations, dosing and potency as the most significant barrier to recommending medical marijuana.
"In addition to unclear dosage guidelines, the lack of high quality scientific data that medical marijuana benefits outweigh possible harm is a huge concern for providers accustomed to evidence-based practice," Dr. Michelson said. "We need rigorously designed clinical trials on the use of medical marijuana in children with cancer."
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