Some Healthy Teens Are Given Cannabidiol for Health Reasons

THURSDAY, May 30, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- About 3 percent of healthy adolescents are given commercial cannabidiol (CBD) for health reasons, according to a study published online May 7 in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

Natasha E. Wade, Ph.D., from the University of California in San Diego, and colleagues described the characteristics of adolescents given health-related CBD (hCBD) and examined predictors of use using data from 11,189 adolescents aged 11 to 15 years from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Participants and caregivers completed questionnaires including questions on whether adolescents were given CBD with permission from a parent or doctor.

The researchers found that 2.8 percent of the participants were given hCBD, with common administration methods including oil, topical, and edibles (42, 31, and 29 percent, respectively). The odds of hCBD were increased in association with being older, being White or Hispanic versus Black, having parents with some college versus no high school diploma, and having internalizing symptoms, mental health treatment, pain, medical treatment, and sleep problems. The odds of hCBD were reduced in association with rules against recreational cannabis.

"While this study documents that about 3 percent of young teens have been given CBD for medicinal reasons, we believe this is likely an underreport," Wade said in a statement. "Parents might not be comfortable saying they're giving CBD to their kids, even though they're trying to help them."

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