The society acknowledges the growing body of research of variable quality evidence suggesting the benefits of Medical Cannabis as a treatment option for children with developmental disabilities. However, there is currently no strong scientific evidence to recommend the use of this substance in the treatment for neurodevelopmental disorders, developmental disabilities and behavioral disorders including but not limited to autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders and intellectual disability.

Since the long term safety and effectiveness of the use of medical cannabis in children have not been established at this time, its use for these conditions should be confined to other countries with well-designed clinical trials that include the necessary ethical, scientific and regulatory controls. The recent interest in medical cannabis-related policy changes should also consider a comprehensive review of adverse effects and social impact among the pediatric population. At present, the society strongly encourages the use of evidence-based interventions for developmental and behavioral conditions, under the guidance and recommendation of a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician or Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician duly board certified to practice in the Philippines.

References:
Adi Aran , Moria Harel, Hanoch Cassuto1, Lola Polyansky1, Aviad Schnapp1, Nadia Wattad1, Dorit Shmueli, Daphna Golan and F. Xavier Castellanos; Cannabinoid treatment for autism: a proof-of-concept randomized trial; Molecular Autism (2021) 12:6 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-021-00420-2

Charlotte M Pretzsch, , Bogdan Voinescu , Maria A Mendez, Robert Wichers, Laura Ajram, Glynis Ivin, Martin Heasman, Steven Williams, Declan GM Murphy, Eileen Daly and Gráinne M McAlonan; The effect of cannabidiol (CBD) on low-frequency activity and functional connectivity in the brain of adults with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) Journal of Psychopharmacology 2019, Vol. 33(9) 1141–1148 sagepub.com/journals-permissions hDtOtpIs::/1/0d.o1i1.o7r7g/1002.16197878/10126198518131908658306journals.sagepub.com/home/jop

Grace Blest-Hopley , Vincent Giampietro and Sagnik Bhattacharyya; A Systematic Review of Human Neuroimaging Evidence of Memory-Related Functional Alterations Associated with Cannabis Use Complemented with Preclinical and Human Evidence of Memory Performance Alterations; Brain Sciences 2020; https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/10/2/102

Isabella Gripe, Ph.D. , Hilde Pape, Ph.D. , and Thor Norström, Ph.D.; Associations Between Cannabis Use and Mental Distress in Young People: A Longitudinal Study; 2023 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.10.003

Kathrin Zürcher, Carole Dupont, Peter Weber, Sebastian Grunt, Ilca Wilhelm, Daniela E. Eigenmann, Martina L. Reichmuth, Manfred Fankhauser, Matthias Egger, Lukas Fenner, Use and caregiver‐reported efficacy of medical cannabis in children and adolescents in Switzerland; European Journal of Pediatrics (2022) 181:335–347 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-021-04202-z

Pim Ittiphakorn, Erridge Simon, Carl Holvey, Ross Coomber, James Rucker, Mikael Sodergren; UK Medical Cannabis Registry: An Analysis of Outcomes of medicinal cannabis therapy for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Neuropsychopharmacology Report; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/npr2.12400 Page 1 of 11

Silva Junior EA, Medeiros WMB, Santos JPM, Sousa JMM, Costa FB, Pontes KM, et al. Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of cannabidiol-rich cannabis extract in children with autism spectrum disorder: randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled clinical trial. Trends Psychiatry Psychother. 2024;46:e20210396. http://doi.org/10.47626/2237-6089-2021-0396