Parents treat kids' autism with medical marijuana
Raising a kid with autism can be a real challenge at times and legal drugs frequently seem to have little or no effect on the kids' behaviour. That is why some parents have decided to treat their children's condition with a drug that is destined to spark controversies: medical marijuana.
As the mum in the short news segment above reveals, medical marijuana baked in brownies helped her son at a crucial moment in his life, as he was fighting severe weight problems and violent outbursts, a symptom that is relatively common for people with autism.
Several other mums have reported that medical marijuana has been the last resort to treat their children's condition and provide a calming effect to their pain or anxiety. Mary Myung-Ok Lee is one of the parents who claim to have tried the prescription drugs that are destined for children with autism and carry a considerable amount of side-effects. Her journal provides an insight into the world of a family living with autism and of a parent that decides to ignore social stereotypes and norms in order to give her kid what she believes is a better quality of life.
Sam's story, which is also mentioned in the clip above, is illustrative of the way medical marijuana seems to help children with autism cope with behavioural patterns and how families are making sure that they comply with the laws regulating the use of medical marijuana.
According to the conclusion of an article in the Autism Research Review International, Vol. 17, No. 1, page 3, 'early evidence suggests that in such cases, medical marijuana may be a beneficial treatment, as well as being less harmful than the drugs that doctors routinely prescribe'. More research is needed to establish the positive effects in treating autistic people with medical marijuana but it is also crucial that this approach remains a viable alternative that deserves equal attention to other prescribed medications.
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Comments
Potent medicine for chronic disorders
Cannabis is very strong medicine and used in the context of treatment for certain chronic disorders is probably more respectful of it's power and potentcy than on a long term self-medicating recreational basis which has no treatment strategy and no identified goals or defined purpose.
This would provide a good opportunity to do some research and gather some facts about the medicinal effects of cannabis, at least on the basis of this small group of users.