The Veronica Edwards Show
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The Veronica Edwards Show
Pediatric Medical Cannabis Conversation with LaKeysha Moton
Summary
In this episode of the Veronica Edwards Show, host Veronica Edwards welcomes back LaKeysha Moton, a master's candidate in medical cannabis science and therapeutics. They discuss the use of medical cannabis for children, focusing on various conditions it can treat, such as epilepsy, autism, and cancer. LaKeysha shares evidence-based insights on the effectiveness of medical cannabis and the different types of products available for pediatric use. The conversation also covers the legal landscape surrounding medical cannabis, emphasizing the importance of understanding state laws and keeping proper documentation when traveling. This episode aims to educate listeners on the potential benefits and considerations of medical cannabis for children.
02-04-2025
Welcome to the Veronica Edwards show where we have fun financial conversations that everyone listening can apply to their personal and professional life. I'm your host, veronica Edwards, so excited to be back season five in 2025. This is our first show with a guest being completely independent, and Balance Virtually LLC, my business, is the inaugural sponsor, so check us out at balancevirtuallycom. And if you guys did not listen to the season five initial kickoff episode, which is a monologueologue, I shared with everybody that we've been off the air since September 27th due to Hurricane Helene affecting us here in Western North Carolina and so many in the Carolinas, florida, in the Southeast, and unfortunately, because of the storm, biz Radio had to close its doors. So, first and foremost, I want to thank the creator and owner of Biz Radio, matt Matan, for giving me a chance four years ago with starting the Veronica Edwards show back in 2021. And even before, covid, allowing me to be on the radio show when it was actually in person. So, again, I would not be here if it wasn't for Biz Radio and I just want to thank them again for helping me transition this independently. So from Biz Radio, I still have my amazing producer, mr Aaron Matan, who's going to also be on the show because he's helping me get my concealed carry license to carry a firearm and he provides classes and safety training for anybody that's in the Western North Carolina area but can also travel to you. So stay tuned for that. Also want to shout out my brand ambassador, ms Jylan Farr, who does all my social media and my newsletters. So we are really excited to start this new journey with the Veronica Edwards Show being 100% independent. So I definitely want to shout out the V Team, the listeners. During this four month hiatus we had over 300 downloads, so we are less than 20 downloads from hitting 5,000 downloads. So this is perfect timing to get 5,000 downloads.
Speaker 1:Season five. So head on over again to balancevirtuallycom, where you can see prior shows, or to veronicaedwardsbuzzsproutcom. But let's jump into today's show. So today's guest is a friend of the show and a friend of mine for over 20 years. She was a guest on the show July 2024, so just last year and in a very short period of time. This guest is my fourth most downloaded show of all time, darling. So I had to bring her back to kick off season five. And again, this guest is a master's candidate in the medical cannabis science and therapeutics program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. So we're going to have some great content today. So, without further ado, I would like to introduce today's guest, my very good friend, ms Lakeisha Moten. Welcome, friend.
Speaker 2:Hi, friend, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you, and I just want to highlight that this is we're recording this the end of January, so there's been a lot going on, as you guys know in the news. So I really appreciate you, keisha, for making time out of your busy schedule and everything that's going on, because if you guys haven't listened to the show, please do from July, where you understand Keisha's background in politics and where she works and all that fun stuff. So this is a very interesting time in politics, but we're going to be focusing on the positive. So, keisha, let us know what have you been doing since last July? How was school? When's graduation? All that fun stuff. What feedback have you gotten from the show? Fill us in, friend.
Speaker 2:Yes, so since last July I've been busy, but good, well, good. Graduation is Tuesday, may 20th, very exciting time. Since we last spoken, the feedback was warm, a lot of reception. It's clear that this is a topic that people want to learn about, that people want to gain more information about.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Very excited and thank you for having me back.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely. And now that we're independent and we could talk about whatever we want to talk about, I want to have Keisha on on a reoccurring basis. So today's show I wanted to talk about a particular subject matter, but in the future I would love if Lakeisha could come give us some insights and she's the subject matter expert in medical cannabis science and therapeutics things that a lot of people don't realize as useful for them and to educate them, just to open their mind, not saying that when people finish listening that they're going to run and try to get a medical card, but that they are just more educated. So we really appreciate you making time to educate folks.
Speaker 1:So today I asked Ms Moten if we could talk about the use of medical cannabis for children, and I know that's a very interesting topic. I, of course, am interested because I have a nine-year-old son who is very active and busy like his mother, so you know asking for a friend about some of these topics. So today we're going to discuss the conditions for medical cannabis use for young folks, minors, the types of use, the difference between pediatric and adult use and, of course, the legal landscape, because we know things are different state to state and federally. So, keisha, I would love if you can just start us off and just kind of just tell us the overview of conditions that we use medical cannabis to treat children for.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sure. So medical cannabis has and is being used to treat children with epilepsy children with epilepsy, ASD, autism spectrum disorder. It's being used to treat cancer and cancer-induced nausea and vomiting, and it's also being used for chronic pain in children. So the conditions you know are very concerning. These are conditions that impacts a child's quality of life and well-being, and so what we're seeing is an influx of parents and families looking at holistic option and treatments for their loved ones, and that's completely understandable. So I'll jump right into the first one, and that's epilepsy. Epilepsy has been very exciting because in 2018, the FDA released this treatment drug called Epidiolex, and Epidiolex has been very popular in the pediatric epilepsy care field. So Epidiolex is the first plant-derived purified pharmaceutical-grade CBD, and it has shown remarkable results in treating rare forms of epilepsy, particularly Dravet syndrome and also the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, LGS. Recently, there was a study published in 2021 in Epilepsy and Behavior, and that study followed 607 patients, and those patients had treatment-resistant epilepsy and they had failed to respond to an average of eight anti-epileptic drugs.
Speaker 2:So, that study in 2021 found that 52% of those 607 patients they experienced more than a 50% reduction in their seizure frequency. 27% of those patients achieved more than 75% reduction in seizures. And then also they reported a quality of life improvements were reported in 80% of the patients, and so numbers and information like that we see how medical cannabis is a viable treatment for children suffering with these rare forms of epilepsy. Also, for autism spectrum disorder in 2019, there was a study published in Scientific Reports and that study found that cannabis treatment led to significant improvement in agitation and behavior problems of 61% of the patients, and again, that was in 2019 for autism.
Speaker 2:When you talk about cancer in children, unfortunately we see that a lot here and so again it's one of those things where we're looking for an improvement in the quality of life and preservation of life. So with cancer and pediatric cancer treatment, medical cannabis has shown potential in managing symptoms like nausea and appetite loss, and there's an interesting study that was done a 2020 comprehensive review and it was published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management and they found that cannabinoids significantly reduce CINV and that's again chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in their pediatric patients. Two years ago, there was another research study and it was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and they studied 245 cancer patients who experienced severe nausea despite their conventional anti-emetics, and the results from that 2022 study showed that 84% of the participants reported improved nausea control. We're talking about kids here. Children it's very important you know we have these conversations and begin to look at the scientific data, the evidence based these studies and clinical improvements we're seeing.
Speaker 2:And so, again from that 2022 study, 72 percent of the participants, they were able to reduce or discontinue their traditional anti-emetics. And again we see the quality of life scores and those improved by an average of 37%. Like I mentioned, chronic pain is another issue we deal and use medical cannabis with in pediatrics. There was a study done in 2023 by the Journal of Pain Research and there they examined over 1500 patients with chronic pain who had failed to respond to conventional treatments and some key findings from that study. They noted that 65% of the patients reported significant pain reduction, 47% reduced or eliminated their medication intake and again, the quality of life improved and that was reported by 71% of the patients.
Speaker 1:Wow, keisha, that's a lot of good facts and I like the biggest thing that I'm hearing. What you're saying is evidence-based quality of life. Unfortunately, we've all had people and loved ones that we know and care about that either have chronic pain, have cancer, I mean hell. I feel like I'm autistic sometimes, you know, and definitely I've had a family member that had epilepsy. Now they've passed, but I think about wow, I wonder how that would have affected them if they were able to have this use, and I think a lot of times people just think well, what are you going to do? Are you just going to roll up a joint and give it to a child? And that's something I want to talk about too.
Speaker 1:There's so many different products that you can recommend for pediatric use, so I think a lot of people one. I wanted to make sure that we gave evidence-based facts. You cited so many places scientific reports, the Journal of Pain and Research. All of this is fact, evidence based, and most of what you've quoted is over five years old, so I don't want people to think that this is just willy, nilly, loosey, goosey, we're just pulling this out of thin air. This is facts. So, keisha, I would love for you to share about the different types of cannabis products that are recommended for pediatric use, because that's what I'm interested in.
Speaker 2:So pediatrics and products is going to be the same spectrum or array of products that's available for adults and, as we know, for adults you have oils, tinctures, capsules, there are transdermal patches and we also have tablets, disposable tablets. So again, the options for pediatrics who may use cannabis medical cannabis products are about the same. It typically depends on what the parents are looking to accomplish. So with oils and tinctures, you'll get more precise dosing for your child those who opt for transdermal patches, that offers a controlled release of the medication, and then for oral capsules or dissolvable tablets. That gives us a standardized dosing options. So, again, the same product options for children that are available for adults. Wow, so the dosage is the difference.
Speaker 1:Okay, Cause that's what I was going to ask you. I think a lot of times people think well, okay, if you're not going to smoke the cannabis, well then the only other option is for you to have a gummy, and it seems like everybody and their mama is popping gummies. But what are the facts on that? Are edibles something for children, or do we stay away from that?
Speaker 2:So that is where you get into a gray area. A good area of concern. So, and edibles is an area of concern because if, say, an adult in a home with children purchased edibles off the street and not a licensed dispensary, we've seen the products look much like everyday candies.
Speaker 2:And so the issue runs into the marketing strategy with the products. However, the edibles for children isn't a problem. Again, there's where your dosage would come into play, and that is the most important thing I like to stress with children is that their dosage is going to be much, much lower than that of an adult from accidental, unintentional consumption. And those are when adults have edible products and that packaging, say, looks like a Snick-A-Bar, your typical Kit Kat or something like that. I mean, as you see, these shops pop up, you look at some of their edible items and you know that packaging is very familiar, and so that's been the issue.
Speaker 2:The Journal of Pediatrics recently they conducted an overall study in the country and there was a 140% increase in accidental pediatric exposures where cannabis remains illegal. And so again, those are going to be in those markets where they're trying to operate under the radar, and that is where the concern comes in with avoiding edibles in children. Yeah, and I never heard of transdermal patches. So you were saying, with that it releases a certain dosage, right? So for adults, think of, let's say, a lidocaine patch or the icy hot patches.
Speaker 2:Those are going to be your transdermal patches with your medical cannabis in the stickiness. I'm trying to make it as simple as possible without making it. It's going to be in the easiest part of the transdermal patch and it is a controlled release of that medical cannabis into the dermis layer of the skin that travels.
Speaker 1:So really the biggest difference between pediatric and adult is that dosage and just making sure that it's through, as we all should be doing. It's medical, it's controlled, it's not off of the street. They're aware of all of the different usages, but again, the biggest thing that I heard is not having a high dosage.
Speaker 2:Correct. That is the biggest difference with pediatric medical cannabis use opposed to a dose. Now, by rule of thumb, it is always high CBD, low THC, and that's because CBD has demonstrated therapeutic effects without that psychoactive effect, and so again, we just you could take that into a rule of thumb with dosing in children.
Speaker 1:Wonderful. So one of the things before we go, I definitely wanted to talk about the current legal landscape for pediatric medical cannabis. So I live in North Carolina. It's not legal for recreation or medical, but I know that it's legal for medical use in Florida and some of these other places. So is there anything that we should be aware of if I'm in a state where it's legal but then I go to a state that it's not, or the difference between state and federal, the biggest highlights that you want to bring in that area?
Speaker 2:Okay, so that is a complex landscape and again, like you mentioned, that is going to vary from state to state. As of 2024, there were 34 states that have legal medical cannabis and so, again, from state to state it is different. Most states that have legalized medical cannabis. There are different requirements and rules that we have to adhere to. So you know, for those people that are traveling who are medical cannabis patients, we ask that you know if you travel. I'm going to say three terms I would like people to remember, and that'd be enumerated powers, the commerce clause and federalism. So there are criminal implications when we have to travel with our medical cannabis on us going from state to state. And then, for those families and parents with children, we always you know rule of thumb tell them keep your documentation on you at all times you can to identify that need. And again, it'd be up to the feds to decide how they will prosecute, if they choose to prosecute.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I think that's good for adult or pediatric. You know like to always make sure that you have your documentation, make sure you're aware of your rights and you know and talk to your children about it. You know, I think to be as transparent as possible and being aware is the biggest thing. So, keisha, just like that, we're to the end of the show, friend, so you know I'm going to be bringing you back quarterly.
Speaker 2:Yes, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:So many things to talk about. So thank you so much, keisha. I know that you're graduating on my son's birthday, may 20th, so I'm not going to forget that. Can't believe it's gone by so fast, because it was a two-year program, correct.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes. So we are here. The end is near. I'm excited. It's a wonderful time to be, you know, a part of this program, because there's a lot of talk about rescheduling. So, thank you, and everybody out there wish me well. Reach out to me on LinkedIn. We can have a conversation.
Speaker 1:Yes, Lakeisha. Please drop your information that you're willing to share. How can people find you?
Speaker 2:Sure, like I said, I'm on LinkedIn. You can find me on Facebook, but I prefer LinkedIn. Look me up by my last name, m-o-t-o-n, and, like I said, we can go from there.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much, friend. I want to thank you again for coming on taking time out of your busy day. I want to thank the V Team for listening and tuning into Veronica Edwards' show. We are back and you can listen to all prior shows at veronicaedwardsbuzzsproutcom or at our inaugural sponsor site, balancevirtuallycom.
