Cannabis and autism, explained
Over the past decade, autistic people and their families have increasingly experimented with medical marijuana and products derived from it. Many hope these compounds will alleviate a range of autism-related traits and problems. But scientists are still in the early stages of rigorous research into marijuana’s safety and effectiveness, which means that people who pursue it as treatment must rely mostly on anecdotal information from friends and message boards for guidance.
Here we explain what researchers know about the safety and effectiveness of cannabis for autism and related conditions.
Stories you may be interested in
Substance in cannabis ‘could boost pancreatic cancer treatments’
A substance found in cannabis plants might boost treatments for patients with pancreatic cancer, research in mice has suggested. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is not psychoactive, meaning it does not produce feelings of being high in those who take it. It is extracted from hemp plants and is legal in the UK, although a CBD product…
Read More 
Senate bill could legalize medical marijuana in North Carolina
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Medical marijuana is legal in 36 states. Now, the state General Assembly could make North Carolina the latest state to open up the market to cannabis. Medical cannabis advocates are trying to throw veterans a lifeline with Senate Bill 711. “The veteran suicide rate is twice the national average in North Carolina,…
Read More 
Colorado’s first licensed cannabis R&D firm to study marijuana’s effect on Alzheimer’s disease
A Denver-based company hopes to be the state’s first to study the effects of marijuana on Alzheimer’s disease, thanks to a newly available research and development license in the city. MedPharm Holdings plans to apply for a Denver marijuana R&D license to test delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and other cannabinoids’ effects on Alzheimer’s and…
Read More 
Study on cannabis chemical as a treatment for pancreatic cancer may have ‘major impact,’ Harvard researcher says
Pancreatic cancer makes up just 3 percent of all cancers in America. But with a one-year survival rate of just 20 percent (and five-year survival rate of less than 8), it’s predicted to be the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2020. Headlines about the illness, as a result, tend to be discouraging. But this month scientists from Harvard University’s Dana-Farber…
Read More 
Medical marijuana: Florida House seeks to intervene in ‘monumental’ case
TALLAHASSEE — Florida House leaders should be able to participate in a lawsuit that could revolutionize the state’s medical marijuana market, a lawyer for the Republican-led chamber told a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal Tuesday. But Tampa-based Florigrown argued that legislators instead should concentrate on fixing the law, aimed at carrying…
Read More 
States with medical marijuana laws saw 20 percent drop in some opioid prescriptions
States with active medical marijuana laws saw certain opioid prescription rates drop nearly 20 percent compared to states without medical marijuana programs, according to a first-of-its-kind study out of Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center. Authors said the findings underscore the importance of providing patients with pain management alternatives, such as cannabis, in efforts to reduce…
Read More