In the past ten years or so there has been a lot of interest to see if medicinal cannabis can help children with emotional and behavioural problems – the ones associated with conditions such as autism, ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) and Tourette syndrome.

Australia’s drug regulator confirms doctors are prescribing medicinal cannabis for such conditions.

If discussions on social media are anything to go by, some parents want their children to try it when other strategies have not worked. Some teenagers are curious to see if it’s right for them.

But there’s not yet a lot of high-quality evidence to support medicinal cannabis for these emotional and behavioural problems. There are also potential safety concerns.

Why medicinal cannabis?

Many children with conditions such as ADHD, autism and Tourette’s have major emotional and behavioural problems, including anxiety, agitation and aggression. Alongside psychological therapy, and family and other supports, these children often take medications such as stimulants, antidepressants and anti-psychotics.

These medications can be very helpful, especially for ADHD. But these medications are not effective for all children with these conditions. They also have a high rate of side effects.

So some doctors and parents hope medicinal cannabis can help manage these emotional and behavioural........

© The Conversation