Medical Marijuana News Update: Is Medical Marijuana Ideal for Autism Treatment?

Medical marijuana is now gaining recognition in the medical world with its proven positive effects. Studies reveal that medical marijuana can greatly minimize symptoms of autism.

Normally caused by several genetic and environmental contributors, autism is a collection of disorders that creates an impact on the individual's brain development. Though the possibility of providing medical marijuana to individuals diagnosed with autism may be scarce, but several patients can testify regarding its effectiveness.

"Anecdotes should not be dismissed," Dr. Daniele Piomelli, one of the world's top neuroscientists and endocannabinoid researchers told Leafy. "An anecdote is a pointer. It's something that suggests something needs to be either proven or disproven."

Dr. Giovanni Martinez, a clinical psychologist, however, made a remarkable movement in introducing medical marijuana to patients with special needs. Though Martinez originally started the SURF4DEM, a foundation that teaches individuals with autism to surf, he also researched on using marijuana oil on patients with autism.

Martinez continually researches on the benefits of CBD oil which is derived from marijuana. Martinez is on his way in looking into the therapeutic properties that medical marijuana can provide for patients with autism.

In one of Dr. Martinez's cases, it was revealed that by using medical marijuana oil on one of his patients diagnosed with autism, the child was able to speak his first word. The child that was diagnosed with non-verbal autism gained the ability to speak after taking medical marijuana.

Aside from speech improvements, Huffington Post added that medical marijuana can also ease the patient's "destructive rages" as THC gives off a calming effect on the body. One patient by the name of Alex Echols was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called tuberous sclerosis.

Alex's condition then affected his brain, which eventually led to autism, seizures and uncontrollable rages. As his condition continually worsens over time, his mother came across a study which involved medical marijuana. His parents gave him medical marijuana as part of his treatment, to their surprise, it provided positive effects.

"Eventually, we had some truly amazing results," Alex's dad mentioned on one of his blog posts. "He explored his world with his hands, something he was very rarely able to do. His hands were the enemy up to this point ... But on those few truly magical days when we got the dosing just right, he played. He used his hands to explore. He looked at us and smiled."

Several parents with children diagnosed with autism opted to try out the medical marijuana treatment. Most gave out positive feedback in terms of seeing improvement on their child's skills and behavior. This being said, are you in favor of using medical marijuana for patients with autism? Do let us know you thoughts on the comment section below.