Autism and The Associated Press

The social factors of satisfactory treatment are even more important than the financial. Autism patients are frequently social pariahs whether they want to be or not.

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - The Oregonian, May 10, 2009, had another AP article this one by Lindsey Tanner about a “cure” for Autism.

For those who don’t know, Autism is a very mean disease and the layman or new parent would consider the child crazy because they certainly do compulsively weird things and apparently cannot communicate by speaking or paying ANY attention to parents or even highly skilled Autism specialists which are usually specially trained psychologists.

The article states that standard long-term behavioral therapy requires 30 to 40 hours of treatment per week for many years. I don’t know how much psychologists get paid for these 30 to 40 hours per week but I have a friend with two Autistic children and they racked up $75,000 in costs in one year. They went bankrupt.

The standard medications are Ritalin, an amphetamine like drug, and several mixtures of amphetamines. Both of these kind of drugs can be dangerous and lethal with several hundred deaths with their use.

I have written that marijuana/cannabis doctors in California have found that these drugs in cookies have miraculously “normalized” Autistic, ADD and ADHD children.

I presume may parents, psychologists and psychiatrists shudder at the thought that marijuana, the “devils drug”, could possible be effective for these devastating diseases. They should remember that these patients exhibit a very high level of excitement.

This being so how come Ritalin and amphetamines, both of which are powerful brain stimulants or excitants, should be effective for an obviously highly excited child.

We know that marijuana is effective for Parkinsonism, Epilepsy and certain other brain exciting diseases. We also know that only about one of ten Autism patients recover to normalcy and these recoveries are after years of the dangerous Ritalin and amphetamines and/or highly expensive one on one psychologic behavioral therapy.

With even the relative few marijuana for Autism successes it seems logical to me that somebody someplace should pay attention and give MJ a clinical trial. One factor to remember is that MJ is one of the safest medical agents ever discovered with never a death.

The financial aspects of MJ treatment seem obvious and I am not talking about the highly expensive Marinol, the synthetic marijuana medicine, which frequently causes panic attacks which is about the worst thing to occur with an Autism sufferer.

The social factors of satisfactory treatment are even more important than the financial. Autism patients are frequently social pariahs whether they want to be or not.

Too much money and treatment has been spent on these cases. It’s time for progress.

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Comments Leave a comment on this story.

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chris July 7, 2011 7:47 pm (Pacific time)

agree with the clinical trial - would be willing to give it a try - what are they afraid of ? it working...

KitttyIsNerml May 13, 2009 8:37 am (Pacific time)

I started smoking when I was 13. It always seemed like the world was going at such a slower pace than my own mind! Even sitting down I was busy planning my next move, my next day, getting a poem down to memory and even had the Preamble to the US Constitution and the Gettysburg Address memorized! Straight A's and still smoking in high school, enough credits to graduate at 15 because POT allowed me to slow down and concentrate! 10 yrs of age is a bit young and other disciplines should be applied before smoke is tried but if by 13 the kid is still not able to sit still then most certainly MJ is a viable answer.

Don McAdams May 13, 2009 8:01 am (Pacific time)

William Randolph Hearst spent mass money to thwart hemp to secure his lumber interests. Although many other industries did stand to benefit also, Hearst was the biggest prohibition financier. Ten isn't too young; many religions that include cannabis as a sacrament encourage their parishioners to start using it around 9 or 10 years old (Rastafarian). I started around 10 years old, too. And finally, the FDA is huge, but our numbers are many, including the 14 states allowing MMJ. In the words of Bob Marley, "get up, stand up, don't give up the fight!" Yes we Cannabis! Free the God Seed! (myspace/freethegodseed)

jeffrey May 12, 2009 11:05 am (Pacific time)

tru that jimmy the government hates to acknowladge any of pots many benefits it was only made illegal back in the day because it competed with the tobacco and cotton (hemp) industries which where the two biggest sources of financial gain

Lapsed Pastafarian May 12, 2009 10:10 am (Pacific time)

It may just be me, but I think my ten year old is too young for this type of therapy.

jimmy May 12, 2009 8:42 am (Pacific time)

Dr. Leveque, this is a great Idea that's time has come, but do you think the FDA, who is really controlled by the pharmaceutical giants will ever allow this to happen? How can they sustain their multi BILLION dollar profits if you can cure something with a weed?

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Autism and The Associated Press

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