In its Parenting column, the New York Times tackles a question that is apparently vexing many parents who are cooped up at home with kids during the pandemic lockdown: whether to give children who might be anxious and emotional a dose of CBD, the non-psychoactive component of marijuana. More adult Americans are turning to CBD than ever before, with a 2019 Gallup poll finding that 14 percent used such products, mostly for pain, anxiety and sleep—although there’s no scientific proof of their effectiveness.
Now, parents are giving CBD to their kids. Currently, there’s only one CBD-based drug approved by the FDA, to treat a rare form of childhood epilepsy, and there’s no proof CBD works and is safe for children for any other ailment. The few studies that have been conducted rely mostly on parents’ perceptions, rather than measured changes in comparison to placebo groups. So it is disturbing that parents are experimenting with CBD products for their kids, who have been diagnosed with autism and A.D.H.D., for which there are no reported controlled trials. This is potentially risky, because it’s impossible to know what’s really in a CBD product without independent testing, and what the side effects might be. For homebound parents dealing with the stress of volatile kids, CBD is definitely not the answer.