Rhode Island Adds Autism Spectrum Disorder to Qualifying Conditions
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]he Rhode Island Department of Health announced this week that it is adding autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to the list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis.
On Tuesday, Oct. 16 the department signed a petition to add autism to the list, which was originally sent to them in April. The authors of the petition are parents, and they attended a hearing in August to defend the description of autism as a “debilitating condition,” which they did successfully.
Now, doctors may finally According to spokesman Joseph Wendelken that this particular condition only qualifies when certain symptoms are exhibited. This includes but isn’t limited to “repetition of self-stimulatory behavior of such severity that the physical health of the persons with ASD or others is jeopardized, and/or avoidance of others or inability to communicate with others to such severity that the physical health of the person with ASD is jeopardized.”
An additional requirement was also set in place for condition, which requires that all potential patients must consult with a child psychiatrist or pediatric neurologist prior to treatment, as well as three months afterwards treatment has begun. Also, medical cannabis will only be considered once other treatments have been considered. If medical cannabis is prescribed but not effective, it can be discontinued by the physician.
Wendelken stated that these requirements, although stricter than other states, is to make sure that patients remain safe and that there best interest is at heart. “The intention of these steps is to ensure that the patient’s physician is consulting with the appropriate subspecialist to evaluate the risks and benefits, and to make a decision with the patient’s parents about the safest and most effective course of treatment,” Wendelken stated.
Now autism will join the list of other qualifying conditions for medical cannabis in Rhode Island, which includes cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and many other “chronic or debilitating disease of medical conditions.”
