Few Parents Know About CBD Use In Children

One-third of U.S. parents have never heard about CBD use by children, while nearly half (46%) said they don’t know much about using the products with regard to children, according to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. Just 3% of respondents said they knew a lot about CBD use in children with 17% reporting some knowledge of using the products for their children.

The poll included parents of children aged 3- to 18-years-old.

In all, 71% of parents polled had never used a CBD product, while 24% had tried it and 5% used CBD products regularly. Nearly all parents surveyed (90%) said they had neither given nor considered giving their child a CBD product, while 2% had and 4% had considered it.

The potential side effects of CBD was the number one factor for parents (83%) in determining whether they would give it to their child, followed by whether it was tested for safety in children (78%), its efficacy in children (72%); recommendation of their child’s doctor (63%); approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (58%); and product reviews (41%).

Two-thirds (73%) of parents said they thought CBD may be a good option for children when other medications don’t work, while a third (35%) of parents said that taking CBD is the same as using THC-rich cannabis. Most parents (83%) said that CBD products should be regulated by the FDA, and 74% said that CBD for children should require a doctor’s prescription.

The survey found that, among parents who have given or considered giving CBD to their child, 29% said they talked with their child’s healthcare provider about CBD use. Parents’ most common reasons for giving or considering CBD for their child include anxiety (51%), sleep problems (40%), ADHD (33%), muscle pain (20%), autism (19%), and to make their child feel better in general (13%).