Children's Hospital Colorado

Medical Marijuana

A medical marijuana sign

Medical marijuana is legal in Colorado. People use medical marijuana to help deal with various medical conditions.

There is ongoing research into possible benefits of medical marijuana. Currently, use of medical marijuana sold from state dispensaries is not recognized or approved by the FDA.

Medical marijuana and children

Pediatric use of medical marijuana has not been studied in depth. We don’t yet have the science to fully understand it, and we don’t know how it may either positively or negatively impact children.

Providers do not know how likely medical marijuana is to be effective for different medical conditions in children. We also don’t know what long-term effects marijuana may have on learning, memory and behavior, especially in infants and young children.

If you are considering using medical marijuana for your child with epilepsy, cancer or other complex medical conditions, please consult with your doctors at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Our medical marijuana policy

At Children’s Colorado, your child’s safety and well-being are our top priorities.

Our providers are sympathetic to the extraordinary challenges parents face when caring for children with complex medical conditions. If parents are interested in medical marijuana for their child, we want to help educate them. We share what we know and what we don’t know about dosages, interaction with other medications, risks, possible benefits and short- and long-term side effects.

We don't prescribe or recommend medical marijuana at this time. But we will continue to provide care to children whose families choose to explore the use of medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana consultation services at Children’s Colorado

We understand that many of our patients and parents are interested in how medical marijuana might help ease symptoms and side effects. To help educate parents and keep children safe, we created a medical marijuana consultation team at our hospital.

If your child is currently using medical marijuana — or if you have questions about trying it — we are here to help. We offer:

  • Consultation with a social worker: Your social worker provides education, tips on how to safely store marijuana at home and guidance on where to find reliable information about medical marijuana online. They also offer emotional support throughout your child’s treatment.
  • Consultation with a hospital pharmacist: The pharmacist discusses your child’s current treatments and reviews their medications to check for possible drug interactions.

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