Autism is complicated. With a slew of symptoms that affect each patient differently and at various levels, treatment has never been straightforward. Patients and their caretakers often try a variety of approaches—usually in tandem: from behavior modification therapies and anti-psychotic medications to special diets, but there is no "one" true cure. According to the UK's National Autistic Society, "Autistic people see, hear and feel the world differently to other people. If you are autistic, you are autistic for life; autism is not an illness or disease and cannot be 'cured'. Often people feel being autistic is a fundamental aspect of their identity."
Cannabis, as a medicine, is similarly complex; while there's a lot we understand, there is still more that researchers are trying to comprehend about the endocannabinoid system, or how the compounds found in cannabis—it isn't just THC and CBD—support healing for people with various conditions. MMJ, or medical marijuana, has been used in the treatment of a variety of diseases and conditions, including easing anxiety, treating glaucoma, and easing the severity and number of seizures in those with epilepsy.
Many are also finding cannabis, in one form or another, effective in easing symptoms of a variety of conditions that have not yet been thoroughly researched; autism is one of these, with many getting legal access to medical cannabis—or sourcing it illegally—and using it to treat those with the most severe symptoms. Bringing the two, cannabis and autism, together, was never going to be an easy or straightforward endeavor. However, parents of severely autistic children who have exhausted all other options have described medical cannabis as a "life changing" therapy.Continue reading on Tonic.
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