Child-friendly considerations for medical cannabis patients and parents

From the 2nd of June to the 8th of June, the UK celebrates Child Safety Week: an awareness campaign dedicated to keeping children safe, and it’s a timely reminder that safety begins at home. 

While we at Releaf only prescribe cannabis-based medications to adults over the age of 18, many of our patients are also parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, caregivers, teachers, youth workers - the list goes on! 

With this in mind, we’ve created this blog to give practical and reliable guidance for keeping children safe around medical cannabis - in line with this year's Child Safety week theme: Safety is for Sharing. 

Whether it's for the children in your house, in the street, in your care, or in your classroom - we’ve put together this comprehensive blog to sum up the guidance we give, and the safety measures put in place for keeping kids safe when it comes to medical cannabis.

Doctor’s orders: Safety guidance from Releaf 

During your first consultation at Releaf, we inquire about your line of work, and also if you have children living with you to best tailor advice and guidance specifically to you and your needs. 

Here our doctors will outline what you need to know, such as keeping medication in a safe place away from children, just like any other prescribed medication, perhaps in a safe, a locked cupboard, or one with a safety cache on for extra protection. 

And while we only treat those over the age of 18 at Releaf, as well as completing Safeguarding Adults Level three training, all of our practitioners, nurses, and patient support staff annually complete an updated mandatory Safeguarding Children Level three training. This is to ensure utmost safety standards for not only you, but for anyone in your care. 

As it says on the tin: Child-safe cannabis packaging

Although there is a wide variety of medical cannabis products available, as standard on medical cannabis flower packaging, a sentence to the effect of: ‘keep out of reach and sight of children’ is always clearly stated. 

And, just in case this isn’t always possible, perhaps when you’re in transit or if your medication has only just been delivered, a large range of the medical cannabis cultivars we prescribe have child resistant zippers installed on their packaging. 

Similarly, just like Calpol bottles, medical cannabis oils are manufactured with child resistant, or ‘childproof’ caps, that are difficult for young children to open, but relatively easy for adults. To open these lids, simply add a bit of force, pushing down on the cap and twisting at the same time. 

These features are designed to keep children safe, but safe storage remains essential. 

We also reiterate the guidance given by our healthcare professionals in our Releaf Welcome Guide, which you can access digitally through our HealthTech platform, also known as the patient dashboard. This sits in the resource section and states: ‘Keep your cannabis medication(s) in a cool, dry, and dark place, away from the reach of children and adolescents.’ 

Creating safe spaces: Medicating around children

If vaping is the prescribed administration method for you, it's critical to never vape in an enclosed space around children. 

While vaping doesn’t produce the same second-hand effects as smoking, inhaling any vapour, especially for children, can pose risks due to their little, developing lungs. 

Always make sure to vape your medical cannabis in a well-ventilated, child free area. If you’re reading this blog, you already know when children are present, exercising caution is always key, and you can always ask for further guidance on this during any of your Releaf consultations.

Child-friendly conversations: Talking about medical cannabis

Last year, for Parent Mental Health Day we published a blog dedicated to speaking to children about medical cannabis, and cannabis-based treatments. 

If this is something you’ve been thinking about doing, we’d recommend reading our full blog post for compassionate guidance on how to do so. But, as a succinct summary, at Releaf, we’d suggest: 

1. Decide upon an age appropriate explanation 
2. Pick a quiet and comfortable space to talk
3. Be open and honest, take your time, and don’t rush
4. Ask if they have any questions or concerns 
5. Address these in an age appropriate manner, with compassion and clarity. 

By keeping communication open, you help to reduce stigma and build trust - all while reinforcing the importance of safety. 

Final thoughts

We’re proud to take part in Child Safety Week and share this guidance to help our patients protect the young people in their lives. Remember, safety isn’t personal, it’s always worth sharing!