marijuana4.jpg
Around 52 kids in Oregon are using medical marijuana. (AP Photo/file)

How young is too young for medical marijuana?

BY Chris Sullivan  on November 26, 2012 @ 6:26 am (Updated: 7:35 am - 11/26/12 )

Would you give your child marijuana to handle the side-effects of chemotherapy? An Oregon family is pushing the boundaries of the marijuana discussion.

Mykayla Comstock has leukemia. Twice a day she swallows a marijuana pill to keep the nausea and other side effects from chemotherapy at bay.

Mykayla is 7 years old. She is one of the 52 kids in Oregon that hold a medical marijuana card.

The Oregonian reports that state's law on medical marijuana doesn't require any monitoring by doctors. A child's use of the drug, once its approved by the state, is entirely up to the parents.

Mykayla says the drug makes her feel funny but happy, and her family says it's the reason her cancer is in remission.

The American Academy of Pediatrics opposes the use of marijuana on children.

Chris Sullivan, KIRO Radio Reporter
Chris loves the rush of covering breaking news and works hard to try to make sense of it all while telling stories about real people in extraordinary circumstances.
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Comments (14)


  • Add A Comment

  • sportsguru wrote...
    If it helps her recover
    November 26, 2012 7:07 am
    I think that's a no brainer no matter what side of the political spectrum you may be on.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • irony wrote...
    pot for babies
    November 26, 2012 11:36 am
    lets give it away in kindergarten.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • jway wrote...
    Safer than coffee
    November 28, 2012 6:36 am
    While that wouldn't harm the kids, there's no reason to do it either. Why don't we just legalize it like wine and END the 750,000 annual marijuana arrests. We should NOT have policies that cause more harm than good!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • The Dude Abides wrote...
    As long as it isn't smoked...
    November 26, 2012 1:05 pm
    Marijuana can be very beneficial for kids with cancer. No, it doesn't actually kill cancerous growths, but it does help indirectly. Pot has been shown to lessen the side effects of chemo, increase appetite, and dull pain. All these things will lead to better mental fortitude, and a happier state of mind, both of which HAVE been shown by scientific studies to improve one's odds of fighting cancer.
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  • MmMerrifield wrote...
    well actually
    November 26, 2012 7:48 pm
    cannabis can prevent cancer from spreading http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/marijuana-and-cancer_n_1898208.html
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Phil B wrote...
    Why is it even an issue?
    November 26, 2012 2:23 pm
    Its for medical purposes, and shes being treated by a doctor. Next story!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • MediaWatch wrote...
    It is not the cancer she is treating AJ
    November 26, 2012 3:30 pm
    The comment that pot does not help cancer is off the mark. Currently, the FDA has approved dronabinol and nabilone which contain Delta-9-THC, for the use of chemotherapy related nausea. This nausea can be quite extreme and is often resistant to both oral and IV anti-emetic medications such as Zofran. When you take care of patients who are wasting away in front of your eyes and see how well the oral form of THC works on both nausea and anorexia from chemotherapy, you would support the use as well. The article sates she is taking the pill form, not smoking it.
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  • roomtemp wrote...
    @MediaWatch...
    November 26, 2012 6:54 pm
    I completely agree with you. I've seen it for myself. A good friend and mentor was going through chemo and he was so sick that he couldn't keep anything down. Not even the THC pills that he was prescribed. It was truly awful to watch. For him, smoking a little bit was the only good answer. (Not that I recommend smoking, but pills don't do you any good unless they can soak in. And it didn't take much.) His doctor suggested the black market and he had an anonymous friend *cough* that was willing to break the law to ease his suffering.

    The cancer still took him eventually, but at least the end of his life became bearable again.

    No hatred for the parents from my corner. I get it...

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  • MediaWatch wrote...
    Sorry about that AJ
    November 26, 2012 3:44 pm
    Mis-read your comment. Hope anyone against this use never gets cancer and the intractable nausea/vomiting and weight loss associated with chemo. Wish some people could spent time with our patients who beg you to let them die because of the side effects from CA treatment. What gets me though, is the headline and picture on this report. To state "medical marijuana" and show a picture of the plant is misleading. But then again I forget out media is suppose to report the news, not make the news (tongue in cheek).
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  • Iven wrote...
    Opiates Better?
    November 27, 2012 2:15 am
    Funny how thousands of kids take opiates daily for medical reasons and nobody says much of anything (no controversy). Let a kid take prescribed medical Marijuana and all of a sudden, Controversy. Society has a funny way of judging people.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • jway wrote...
    Safer than coffee
    November 28, 2012 6:29 am
    They gave marijuana to a seven yr-old and she lived?!! Just how SAFE does this plant have to prove itself before we make it legal?? If little wee kids can ingest marijuana without any harm then why are we arresting 750,000 people every year just for possessing it? Your opinion matters! NOW is the time to contact the media and your legislators. Legalize marijuana like wine!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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