Medical marijuana is showing results for children suffering from painful ailments, according to a doctor at Akron Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Sarah Friebert is one of two doctors at Children’s licensed to recommend medical marijuana. New products have become available in Ohio that are safe to recommend to children.

Friebert said she’s just been able to start recommending these options as they’ve become available, but has seen positive results.

Friebert has seen results in patients

“But I have one patient who has responded very well and has had a noticeable decrease in his seizure activity and a noticeable improvement in his overall behavior and level of irritability.”

Friebert said dispensaries have been trying to create new products to suit patients with different needs, but she prefers the tincture -- or extract -- form because it gives more control over the dosage than other options, such as gummies which have to be processed through the digestive system.

The tincture form is absorbed through the bloodstream

“It’s a tincture form of the medical marijuana that allows us to dispense it to children to be used orally or sublingually where it’s absorbed directly into their bloodstream under their tongue. And that is safer for them.”

For each child she recommends it to, Friebert said she starts with a small dose and works gradually upwards as needed.