Rhode Island Family Tries Medical Marijuana for Son with Autism: Can Cannabis Treatment Help Treat Autism Spectrum Disorder?

In a recent incident, a family is finally opting for medical marijuana for their 13-year-old who is suffering from Autism. According to npr.org, Kristal and Chris' 13-year-old son, Dylan, has an autism spectrum disorder and had been on traditional medications since quite some time. However, the treatment using traditional medication seemed to not work on his symptoms. However, with his symptoms deteriorating, it became very difficult for the parents and therefore a week before Thanksgiving, they began the treatment of Dylan using medical marijuana. They were able to do this with the permission of Rhode Island health officials and support of Dylan's psychiatrist. They continue to experiment with medical marijuana in regards to the treatment of their son having autism. Rhode Island allows the treatment of severe autism using medical marijuana. Cannabis Laws Across World: List of Countries That Legalised Marijuana in 2018.

Can Medical Marijuana Treat Autism?

With very little scientific evidence in the form of study and research paper available, it is very difficult to conclude if medical cannabis can help treat autism spectrum disorder. An ongoing clinical study in Israel, however, is assessing the tolerability and efficacy of a cannabidiol (CBD)and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) combination product in treating children with ASD. However, this is an ongoing study hasn't revealed any results yet so it is almost impossible to state if marijuana treatment can work with kids having Autism. However, it cannot be denied that in some real-life cases, marijuana has worked wonders in treating the symptoms related to Autism. In an Autism Research Review International article by Dr Bernard Rimland who also founded the Autism Society of America, titled, "Medical Marijuana: A Valuable Treatment for Autism?" wrote, "It seems to me if one is going to need to use drugs, one ought to consider a relatively safe drug like marijuana."He went ahead to explain, "clearly, medical marijuana is not a drug to be administered lightly. Of all drugs, the psychotropic drugs are among the least useful and most dangerous, and the benefit/risk profile of medical marijuana seems fairly benign in comparison."

In another article titled "A Novel Approach to the Symptomatic Treatment of Autism," Dr Rimland said, "cannabis should be available for them because it costs so little to produce, the risks are so small, and the results so impressive."

The parents who made the decision of opting for marijuana treatment for their kid having autism have raised hopes for other parents of autistic children.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 26, 2018 09:08 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).