As CBD continues to grow in popularity, more and more people are asking the question: Is CBD safe around kids? If you’re wondering the same thing, keep reading.
CBD is a veritable health craze, with CBD fanatics touting its applications in treating pain, anxiety, inflammation, troubled sleep, digestive issues and so much more.
Indeed, research has shown that this compound found only in cannabis does have important health effects, especially in the management of neuropathic degenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s as well as epilepsy and other seizure disorders.
Because CBD is not psychoactive — in other words, it will not get you high — it is available over the counter. In many states, it’s available outside marijuana dispensaries, as well as in regular drugstores and grocery stores.
Many households now have CBD products in their medicine cabinets to help adults (and pets!) with a variety of health concerns. Still, many parents are wondering that if it is so safe and so beneficial, then is CBD safe around kids?
In Some Cases, Yes
The answer to the question: is CBD safe around kids – varies. When CBD is recommended by doctors for the management of a medical condition, CBD is okay to have around kids – as long as you store it carefully.
Studies have conclusively shown that CBD might be the only effective treatment for some incredibly debilitating disorders, many of which afflict children.
For example, some severe types of epilepsy that manifest in young people can cause developmental delays and lifelong debilitation if the frequency and intensity of seizures are not reduced.
Unfortunately, typical epilepsy treatments have been ineffective against some childhood syndromes, like Dravet. However, fortunately, CBD has been found to help decrease the rate of seizures even in the worst cases of epilepsy.
Still, when CBD is a necessary medical treatment, you shouldn’t treat it as a completely safe compound. Like any medication, you should keep it in a special location, and you should only administer the drug when appropriate.
Doing so will help your children understand that CBD is not a recreational treat but an important medical treatment for managing a specific condition.
In Some Cases, No
In some cases, the answer to the question is CBD safe around kids, may be no. If no one in your household has been prescribed or suggested CBD by a trained medical provider, then you might not want to risk bringing a cannabinoid home. Especially since there is still a lot of unknown information about the use of CBD.
Although researchers have known about CBD since 1940, researching cannabis has been all but impossible for much of the last century thanks to state and federal regulations.
And while more progressive regulations within the last decade have made cannabis research more feasible, funding remains limited and revelations slow to emerge. As a result, there are still many questions surrounding CBD.
Uncertainties Remain
Because CBD use is so new, there are still a lot of uncertainties that can affect the answer to the question of is CBD safe around kids.
One big uncertainty is precisely what CBD is doing to the human body once it reaches the bloodstream. Another is that doctors and scientists are still not sure of the short- and long-term effects of the drug.
Though it seems that CBD isn’t psychoactive or addictive, there is still the possibility that it might be making minute changes to psychology or physiology; and that could prove beneficial or even detrimental over time.
And while it isn’t always useful to compare CBD vs. THC, researchers do suspect that THC could impair brain development in adolescents, affecting their thought processes for their lifetime. And while CBD doesn’t seem to have the same effects, it’s simply not clear if it could be doing something equally troubling to young brains or bodies.
You should always talk to a healthcare professional before introducing any compound into a treatment strategy. If your doctor doesn’t believe that CBD would help your condition, then it may be best for you to keep CBD out of your home and out of your child’s reach.
How To Make It Safer to Have CBD in Your Home
If you do want to use CBD anyway, then you need to keep it where your kids cannot find it. Additionally, administer CBD when your child is not watching — or else they might be tempted to mimic your behaviors and take some CBD themselves.
It’s also wise to talk to your kids about CBD and cannabis in general, providing them with some educational drug awareness to keep them safe as they get older.
Final Thoughts on Is CBD Safe Around Kids
There is no clear answer to the question “Is CBD safe for kids?”. Until we know more about the compound, most experts advise parents to use all cannabis products responsibly, which means keeping CBD out of the reach of children until they are old enough to understand what it is and what it is used for.