Can Marijuana Help Kids with Autism?

[The Straight Story]

Can Marijuana Help Kids with Autism?

This mom says giving her kid pot has made all the difference.

Gina Kaysen Fernandes: As the mother of an autistic child, Marie Myung-Ok Lee is navigating uncharted territory as she struggles to manage her son's condition. She has bravely come forward to share her son's battle with this mysterious disorder, and to discuss how medical marijuana has brought them both back from the brink of despair.

During what Marie calls the "dark phase," her son J had unpredictable mood swings that could erupt into fitful rages. Her 9-year-old would scream during lengthy tantrums, he refused to eat and threw his food on the floor. J broke plates, windows, and other household items as a way of expressing his pain and frustration. The family would hide out within the confines of their home until the darkness passed.

J's behavior disrupted his school performance and terrified the staff. "The teachers were wearing tae kwon do arm pads to protect themselves against his biting," Marie said. The school monitored J's daily outbursts on an "aggression chart" that documented as many as 300 episodes in one day that involved hitting, kicking, biting, or pinching another person.

....

Despite the unknown risks, more kids are using prescription drugs than ever before. The number of children on psychiatric meds has skyrocketed in recent years, according to reports in medical journals such as Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Prescription drug use is growing faster among children than the elderly and baby boomers. But when it comes to medicating kids with marijuana, the issue becomes taboo.

"There's no such thing as a harmless drug, but marijuana is much less harmful than other drugs," said Lester Grinspoon, M.D., a professor emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Grinspoon is a leading expert in the field of medical marijuana, who has authored several books on the subject. "No one in the world has died from marijuana," insists Grinspoon, who has spent four decades researching the illicit drug.

Read more: http://www.momlogic.com/2009/11/can_marijuana_help_kids_with_autism.php#ixzz0VpB6unTm



http://www.momlogic.com/2009/11/can_marijuana_help_kids_with_autism.php

[jaysunb]

1. Edibles would probably work.

There are all sorts of tasty edibles available that a kid would like such as chocolates, rice crispy bars, ice cream and many others.

Maybe the medical community should take it's collective head out of big pharma's ass and have a look.

[onehandle]

2. It can clean windows, it can fight stubborn stains, it can do your taxes, it can wash your dog...

What can't it do?

[The Midway Rebel]

3. "What can't it do?"

Become decriminalized?
Be respected as legitimate medicine?
Legalized as a recreational drug?
Taxed?
Pull the bug out of some folks asses?

Apparently anyways...



:shrug:

[underseasurveyor]

4. It would have to be on an indiviual case by case basis.

There are just so many variables and varying degrees of autism I believe there is no simple yes or no answer.

If it works I'm all for it but I'm sure it won't work in every case.

[walldude]

5. Agreed.. my son is Autistic but functional, I think pot would

only make him worse. But this kid in the story needed some help and if it worked for them more power to them.

[nashville_brook]

16. we already apply this logic to treating headaches - aspirin isn't compulsory or prohibited

b/c bodies and cultures and people are so different, there's no simple yes or no answer in most areas of health care.

[underseasurveyor]

17. Yea I know

I already said that

[dhpgetsit]

6. It helps people forget things.

Don't laugh. It is important to be able to sort through all the information and forget some of it. It had been useful in treating PTSD.

I don't think a student who goes to school bombed on pot is going to learn much. But if it keeps him from disrupting class and preventing other kids from learning, maybe it's a net positive.

[lumberjack_jeff]

7. Perseveration is a problem for some kids with ASD.

Sometimes I wonder if a bit of short term memory loss might be a good thing.

It's a bit unorthodox, but I can see this helping.

[daedalus_dude]

8. Yes, and it also

-cures cancer
-cures asthma
-cures glaucoma
-makes you more peaceful
-gets rid of headaches
-is the solution to our economic problems
-doesn't cause any negative side effects
-cleans your lungs
-makes you concentrate better
-makes you "cooler"

the only reason it is illegal is because a conspiracy between big pharma and the gray space aliens hate us for our freedoms.

;)

:hide:

[Greyhound]

9. The conspiracy is/was executed by the petrochemical and timber/pulp industries. n/t

[underseasurveyor]

11. Yea Hearst on the timber/pulp side

and I don't remember who the other major con artist was. I know it can be found on the google if anyone else is unfamiliar with the whole 'reefer madness' madness.

[tridim]

12. It's also a daily stress reliever for thousands of users.

But apparently we don't count because "stress relief" isn't considered a valid medical benefit. IMO it's the PRIMARY medical benefit of Cannabis. Stress is a killer.

Xanax and powerful anti-depressants are fine, Cannabis is not. :eyes:

[lame54]

10. It can definitely help their parents

[ddeclue]

13. Oh Dear God! FAIL UNREC!

[Greyhound]

15. What a profoundly deep response.

:eyes:

[Ghost in the Machine]

19. You expected otherwise?

:hi:

[Feron]

14. Don't know, but if you ever need a test subject...

I'd be happy to help out.

Honestly though, I don't see any harm in trying pot. It's a lot gentler and safer than conventional drugs.

[Odin2005]

18. PSA: Be careful when giving someone with an ASD any psychoactive medication.

We tend to react to them much differently then Neurotypicals do.

BTW, I would prefer the usage "autistic kid/person" be used rather than the "with autism" usage, because it is part of our very nature.