Pennsylvania’s Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine says there are limited opportunities for kids to use medical marijuana, but they are important for hospitals to explore. She also encourages doctors to get certified to prescribe medical marijuana.

“I have gone 180 degrees on medical marijuana,” said Dr. Levine.

Dr. Levine says medical marijuana is something families should ask about and doctors should research. She says it can be used for 21 medical conditions.

For kids, that usually includes chronic pain, autism and seizures.

“Children with cancer who might require medical marijuana for nausea associated with chemotherapy,” said Dr. Levine. “Another possibility is pediatric palliative care. These are our children who are perhaps at end of life.”

Medical marijuana was one of the topics up for discussion at this week’s roundtable at Penn State’s Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Levine is touring all of the state’s children’s hospitals as part of the Ready to Start initiative.

Dr. John Metcalf is a certifying physician for medical cannabis.

“Parents kind of tired of going the conventional medical route, where they put their child on all of these medications that have terrible side effects,” said Dr. Metcalf of Medical Marijuana Specialists in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Levine says part of the challenge in giving kids medical marijuana is that there aren’t many doctors certified to prescribe it.

She’s encouraging pediatric specialists to get the extra education required to give it out, and says it may be worth changing the law to allow nurse practitioners to as well.

“They’re so thankful that now their child is able to perhaps have a better quality and function in life. Some are miraculous curers,” said Dr. Metcalf.

Penn State Hershey says it usually explores other therapies before moving onto medical marijuana, and that it’s too early to tell exactly how many kids in our area use it.

“There are some issues concerning you have a child with a developing brain and you have to medical marijuana, perhaps in the endocannabinoid system,” said Dr. Metcalf. “Sometimes you have to weigh the pros and cons…up to the parents.”

Parent advocates were among the driving forces to get medical marijuana legislation passed in Pennsylvania.

Another one of the challenges families face is paying for medical marijuana out-of-pocket.

Medical marijuana is legal in 33 states.