Autism Spectrum Disorders and Medical Marijuana

Autism is a developmental disorder that initially occurs in early childhood. It generally affects a child’s language, behavior, and social skills in development.

The exact cause is unknown, but some reasons may include medications taken during pregnancy, exposure to toxins, infections, immunizations, inflammation, leaky gut, nutrient deficiencies, food allergies, and inborn errors of metabolism.

Signs and Symptoms of Autism

As you learn more about autism, you’ll find there are certain behaviors common amongst afflicted children. Let’s look at some of the most common behaviors associated with autism:

• Need for repeated rituals
• Repetitive and compulsive behaviors
• Repetition of certain motor activities
• Tantrums

The repetition of motor activities is often the viewable symptoms of autism. Some of these include:

ADHD is commonly treated with central-nervous-system stimulants or, less commonly, nonstimulants that affect norepinephrine and/or dopamine levels, and behavioral therapy. ADHD drugs often have undesirable side effects including stunted growth, loss of appetite, sleep problems, headaches, stomach pains, tics, and emotional extremes. As medical marijuana becomes increasingly accepted, there is growing interest in its use for children and adolescents with developmental and behavioural problems such as autism. There is anecdotal evidence that marijuana’s main non-psychoactive compound — cannabidiol or CBD — helps children in ways no other medication has.

Scientists are driven by data, few doctors or researchers are willing to recommend cannabis to treat autism. In contrast to epilepsy, which has references dating back as far as 1843. There isn’t a sufficient body of evidence for most physicians to feel comfortable recommending cannabis as a treatment. Good news is, in September 2016, Israeli doctors became the first in the world to seek permission to treat autistic children with medical cannabis in a clinical trial. Now, some of the first children in the world are being treated with medical cannabis in an officially sanctioned, doctor monitored program. MCDSA will keep you updated as research results becomes available.