Mighty Medicine
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]C[/dropcap]annabis as a treatment for autism is often a contentious subject. Some patients and parents swear by it, while others are hesitant, because there is not a great deal of empirical evidence to prove that it is helpful. Still, thanks to popular demand in Colorado, medical cannabis could soon be approved for patients with autism.
Like many medical conditions that cannabis is used for, there is a lack of evidence regarding the efficacy of cannabis for symptoms of autism, due to the lack of research. However, impassioned parents swear by the power of cannabis in regards to autism. Lawmakers in the House have approved House Bill 18-1263 after hearing hours of testimony from parents. If the bill passes, doctors will be able to recommend medical cannabis as a treatment for anyone who is diagnosed on the autism spectrum.
CULTURE was able to connect with Rep. Edie Hooton, who is a backer of the bill. “When word got out that I would be introducing a bill that would add acute pain as a condition under which a physician could recommend medical marijuana, a group of mothers with children who have severe autism approached me about including autism spectrum disorders,” Rep. Hooton explained to CULTURE. “About a third of people with autism also have epilepsy, which is a qualifying condition for medical marijuana. Parents in Colorado with children who have both conditions have been able to eliminate seizures due to epilepsy, with the added benefit of witnessing a dramatic reduction in the self-harming and other disabling behaviors.”
Despite this testimony being brought forth, many representatives were still skeptical that medical cannabis is the right call to help patients. However, the patient stories that were shared are powerful. Parents shared stories about children who stopped self-harming themselves because of medical cannabis, or who began to speak, write or read only after consuming cannabis. These positive reports were echoed by all of the parents who chose to testify.
“When word got out that I would be introducing a bill that would add acute pain as a condition under which a physician could recommend medical marijuana, a group of mothers with children who have severe autism approached me about including autism spectrum disorders.”
“There was a lot of skepticism among committee members as testimony began,” Hooton added. “However, the stories were so compelling and evidence of dramatic improvement through the use of medical marijuana through a nose spray so convincing, that HB 18-1263 passed the committee on a 12 to 1 vote and went on to pass the House on a 54 to 11 vote.”
It appears that the initial hesitation from lawmakers was because many of those who would request medical cards for cannabis would be children. As of now, out of the 93,000 people in Colorado with medical cards, only 314 of those are children ages 17 and younger, and many of the younger people who qualify for cannabis moved to Colorado for access to medical cannabis for epilepsy. Legislators, psychiatrists and other officials expressed concern about the fact that this would lead to more medical cards being given to minors.
Despite the skepticism that the bill faced, it still passed by a large margin in the House, as there is solid anecdotal evidence that cannabis helps those with autism. If activists keep pushing this bill, it could pass the Senate and eventually be signed into law, giving relief to those who need it.
