Latest research: Can Medical Marijuana help with Autism?

What is ASD?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction, associated with the presence of restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Cannabis has been used to alleviate symptoms associated with ASD.

The CDC estimates that about 1 in 44 8-year-old children have been identified with ASD (or 23.0 per 1,000 8-year-olds). 

The CDC also reports the following:

• Boys are 4 times as likely as girls to be identified as having ASD.
• There were no overall differences in the identification of ASD between Black, white, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander 8-year-old children. However, the number of Hispanic children identified as having ASD was lower at several sites compared to White or Black children.
• More than 35% of the children identified as having ASD for whom IQ scores were available also had an intellectual disability.

ASD is a clinical diagnosis, there is no biological, genetic or blood test to determine the diagnosis. 

The Latest Evidence: Autism and Benefits of Medical Marijuana

Over 10 years ago CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta set out on a journey and traveled the globe to investigate the medical benefits of medical marijuana. WEED, the original award-winning documentary in the series that premiered in 2015, highlighted the remarkable benefits of CBD in treating seizure disorders in kids. The documentary led to dozens of state legislatures changing laws granting parents and doctors the ability to use CBD in treating children.

You can read more about his findings here:

Some studies showed that cannabis products reduced the number and/or intensity of different symptoms, including hyperactivity, attacks of self-mutilation and anger, sleep problems, anxiety, restlessness, psychomotor agitation, irritability, aggressiveness perseverance, and depression. Moreover, they found an improvement in cognition, sensory sensitivity, attention, social interaction, and language. 

At Texas Cannabis Clinic we treat ASD patients of all ages.

We’d like to share an example of how medical marijuana has radically improved the qualify of life for not only the patient but the entire family. 

The child has gone from nearly non veral to verbal, taking 3 step instructions, able to dress himself now, and is able to ride in a car without severe aggressive behaviors. 

1. Aggression

5/19/22: Pt had recently started being aggressive to others.

6/17/22: Meltdowns reduced to twice a week. Improved while in the car.

2. Self-harm

5/19/22: Daily meltdowns. Pt would injure himself during transitions. Pt’s mother reports if she cannot redirect him he will have a meltdown.

6/17/22: No longer harms himself. Stopped picking at body.

3. Insomnia

5/19/22: 7/7 sleepless nights a week. Pt was on 100 mg of modafinil and it only worked for a short amount of time.

6/17/22: Takes 3:1 CBD to THC ratio at 8pm. Sleeps all night.

4. Anxiety

5/19/22: Moderate to severe. Severe with any transitions. Pt has a lot of anxiety when it comes to leaving the house. Reports he has behavioral issues related to leaving the house.

6/17/22: Improved. Mild to moderate.

Resources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34043900/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/19/health/autism-medical-marijuana-cbd-weed-documentary/index.html

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p1202-autism.html