Is there a need for marijuana treatment for autism? Based on a new estimate released by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in April of 2018, one in 59 children within the US have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
ASD is a set of complex neurodevelopmental disorders that affect brain development, social interaction, language acquisition, communication, and more. The CDC's latest estimate is up from the one in 150 as reported back in the year 2000.
Katelyn Castleberry, a mom with two children under 10 'on the spectrum,' spoke to Marijuana.com in an exclusive interview to talk about alternative forms of treatment she has found for her children.
Marijuana Treatment for Autism
"There are a lot of theories out there about this complex syndrome," Castleberry told the reporter at Marijuana.com. "One of the mysteries to me is this: when there's a plant that can help with autism's symptoms and behaviors, why isn't it accessible to everyone who needs it?"
Castleberry works for Mother Advocating Medical Marijuana for Autism (MAMMA). This is a collective group of moms that advocate together for therapeutic cannabis treatments for ASD.
MAMMA currently keeps a list of 11 states that permit cannabis as an ASD remedy.
Those states include:
- California
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Washington DC
Only six of the states actually list autism as a qualifying condition and allow access to the whole plant. Those six are Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.
MAMMA was founded back in 2014, and its sole purpose is to keep track of published studies, as well as research and clinical trials surrounding cannabis and ASD. Currently, there are active MAMMA chapters in Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, Ohio, New York, and Colorado.
Tiffany Carwile, a founding member of MAMMA in Ohio, also spoke to Marijuana.com and talked about treatments for her four-year-old son with chronic conditions.
"I'm explaining that pharmaceutical drugs don't treat the core of autism or target the behaviors that occur in the chronic side of the spectrum," she told the publication. "It's complex, but there's growing evidence that cannabis is a viable treatment."
Currently, Carwile is writing a petition to give to Ohio state legislatures about her son's condition and what cannabis can do to treat him. The mother states that pharma drugs "turn him into a zombie."
Do you think there should be marijuana treatment for autism?
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