Marijuana to Treat Autism? Some Parents Say Yes

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Marijuana is becoming easier to get in many states, and one group showing interest might surprise you: parents of children with autism.
In online and support groups, families swap tips and share experiences-even though the science is still inconclusive. Most doctors don't prescribe cannabis and usually advise against it.

But the few who do say demand is rising. Dr. Mohsin Maqbool, a pediatric neurologist in Plano, Texas, says about a third of his patients are children with autism and about 40% of them treated with cannabis.

He prescribes a combination of THC, the main psychoactive component of marijuana, and CBD, another part of the cannabis plant that doesn't produce a high and can counteract some of the impact of THC.

While medical marijuana is prescribed for everything from cancer symptoms to epilepsy to chronic pain and even dementia, its use in children with autism is more controversial.

After all, we know regular use of THC in adolescents can negatively impact their developing brains and lead to a higher risk of mental-health problems.

But recreational and medical use of marijuana are quite different. These patients aren't getting high-their families and doctors are intentionally avoiding that by strictly regulating and individualizing the dose.
And the parents of children with autism are often desperate to try something to help treat their children for a neurodevelopmental condition that has no definitive cause. They say cannabis is no more risky than the other medications they've tried unsuccessfully, often with many side effects.

Take Marlo Jeffrey, a nurse practitioner who lives outside Dallas. She says she has tried countless medications for her son, Jaiden Gaut. He is an 11-year-old who was diagnosed with ADHD and high-functioning autism when he was 5. His symptoms include anger and aggression, sometimes escalating to self-harm and violence.

Jeffrey took her son to see Dr. Maqbool last fall. Jaiden started THC/CBD gummies, escalated his dose over a month, until he got up to 7.5 milligrams of THC and CBD each a day.

"His behavior improved a lot during that time," says Jeffrey. Jaiden was able to stop taking another medication that had caused him to gain a lot of weight. His physical aggression and cursing improved. He stopped using repetitive words as much and his thinking became more flexible. Since then, he has transitioned to a mainstream school and his grades have gone up.

But anecdotal success doesn't equate to scientific validation. Many doctors aren't yet convinced cannabis is a safe and effective treatment. Groups like the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry warn against treating autistic children with cannabis. The Autism Science Foundation says parents should be "very cautious about giving THC to their children" and more research needs to be done on CBD. Some researchers and doctors say CBD shows promising signs as a treatment for autism but are wary of THC.

Most CBD consists of trace amounts of THC. Dr. Doris Trauner, neuroscience professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, says she has had patients whose CBD from dispensaries had higher-than-expected concentrations of THC, and they ended up experiencing worse behavior. "Children became aggressive, some almost psychotic," she says. "That's not across the board, of course. But I do think that a lot of physicians would be concerned about using high amounts of THC."

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