Investigating medical cannabis for adolescents with Tourette syndrome: tread carefully

The emerging evidence for cannabis in the management of tics in Tourette syndrome has come almost exclusively from studies in adult patients. We now have two published feasibility studies of cannabis for adolescents with Tourette syndrome. Although both readily recruited adolescent participants, there was no explicit requirement for prior trials with standard evidence-based treatments. This is of concern given the known harms of regular cannabis use in adolescents, especially the association with psychosis. Investigating cannabis as an option for tics in adolescents with Tourette syndrome is worthwhile, but a high degree of caution is warranted.