Medicinal cannabis advocate Katy Thomas and her sons Eddy and Harry.
Medicinal cannabis advocate Katy Thomas and her sons Eddy and Harry.
More than 500 prescriptions for medicinal cannabis have been issued for children under 10 in two years.
Non-psychoactive ingredient cannabidiol (CBD) can effectively treat certain childhood epilepsy conditions.
Some parents are pushing for Pharmac funding to make CBD treatment more accessible for children with epilepsy.
More than 500 prescriptions for medicinal cannabis have been written for children under 10 in the last two years.
The number of prescriptions across all age groups has more than quadrupled.
A common reason for prescribing medicinal cannabis to children is to treat forms of epilepsy thatrespond to the non-psychoactive ingredient cannabidiol (CBD), which does not result in a high.
Both a parent and researchers say CBD can be effective in treating these conditions.
Data obtained by the Herald through an Official Information Act request shows children under 10 were provided 235 prescriptions for medicinal cannabis in 2022 and 289 prescriptions the following year.
In 2021, the first full year of data provided by Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora, 89 scripts were made out to children aged 9 and under.
The combined numbers for children and teens aged between 10 and 19 were 304 in 2021, 621 in 2022 and 966 in 2023.
University of Otago paediatric epileptologist Dr Lynette Sadleir said evidence from randomised placebo-controlled trials of pharmaceutical-grade CBD shows it is effective in decreasing seizures with regard to some forms of epilepsy.
She said research shows it can assist with two rare and serious forms of childhood epilepsy, Drabet syndrome and Lennox–Gastaut syndrome.
“They are not miracle drugs, they are like any other anti-seizure medicine.
“In some people it works and in some people it doesn’t.”
University of Otago paediatric epileptologist Dr Lynette Sadleir said CBD can be effective in treating some forms of epilepsy.
In an open trial Sadleir conducted with 25 children who have developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, topical CBD oil was “well-tolerated”, but there were some side effects and one child had to come off the drug.
“Some of the kids, they got considerably better, and the kids that got considerably better were the ones that had Dravet syndrome and Lennox–Gastaut syndrome. Some of the others that didn’t have those syndromes, it didn’t seem to [have] any effect at all.”
Parents cannot get state-funded pharmaceutical-grade cannabidiol in Aotearoa, but Sadleir said an application had been made to Pharmac for children with Dravet syndrome and it had been placed on the “high-priority” list.
“Hopefully, we will have it funded for Dravet and then eventually for Lennox–Gastaut syndrome.”
She said not a lot of children become seizure-free with the medication, but some have a significant improvement.
Auckland mother and patient advocate Katy Thomas, whose 10-year-old Eddy has drug-resistant generalised nocturnal tonic colonic seizure disorder, said thanks to CBD, their family had just navigated Eddy’s first winter without him needing to be hospitalised.
“CBD is saving Eddy’s life one drop at a time. Now we are shifting out of survival mode to reimagine our future together, and that is the most beautiful gift a mother can have.”
Thomas, who is also Medical Cannabis Aotearoa New Zealand’s spokeswoman, said when she first told people she was going to give her child CBD seven years ago, “nobody” was supportive and they thought she was crazy.
Katy Thomas and her son Edward.
“Most people conflate CBD with THC [the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis] because for the longest time, ‘green fairy oil’ was widely referred to as CBD.
“So despite the fact that we know CBD is not psychoactive, it’s quite hard to address the perception that most people think that any kind of medicinal cannabis is going to get you high.”
Now, she said, the proof was in the pudding, as they were enjoying the best seizure control of Eddy’s life.
Besides the sometimes negative perceptions of treating a child with a cannabis product, Thomas said parents also had to come up with the cash to afford CBD treatment.
She, too, believes there needs to be some form of funding model, particularly for children whose epilepsy can be treated with CBD, as she said they needed a higher dose than those using it for sleep or pain.
“It would be so great, it would be so transformative.”
Medicinal cannabis advocate and Auckland mother Katy Thomas with her son Eddy.
A spokesperson for Health NZ told the Herald the agency was unable to answer a question regarding the types of cannabis products being prescribed to children and what conditions it was being prescribed for without an additional OIA request.
However, the spokesperson said qualifying conditions for medicinal cannabis use included chronic pain, nausea and vomiting because of chemotherapy, muscle spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, glaucoma and palliative care.
“Certain cannabis-based products may provide some moderate improvements in symptoms.”
A Ministry of Health spokesperson pointed the Herald to a paper on medical cannabis that stated it should typically be avoided for patients under 18 due to a lack of safety and efficacy data, and uncertainty regarding the possible effects on the developing brain.
“There are some situations where use of medicinal cannabis may be considered in a young person, e.g. for epilepsy, but it should only be prescribed by a specialist clinician who is involved in the care of the patient for the condition being treated,” the spokesperson said.
Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers social issues, including sexual assault, workplace misconduct, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020.
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