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David Hadorn, MD, PhD, Senior Research Fellow and Director at the Centre for Assessment and Prioritisation in the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago Wellington School of Medicine, wrote in his July 17, 2003 document Use of Cannabis Medicines in Clinical Practice," (500 KB) :

“Available evidence from culture in which children are provided with cannabis [marijuana] for therapeutic purposes (e.g., Jamaica) has failed to detect any specific adverse effects from such use.

Moreover, there is powerful anecdotal evidence that some children with hyperactivity or aggressiveness can benefit substantially from cananbis medicines (in non-smoked forms).

When used in small doses as directed, cannabis is a much milder drug than Ritalin or many of the other powerful psychotropic agents commonly prescribed for such children these days. Also, one study found that a cannabinoid (delta-8 THC) was safe and effective for treatment of nausea and anorexia due to cancer chemotherapy in children.”

July 17, 2003