'Marijuana Saved My Child's Life'

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - What’s with the titles? Last week ABC News featured an autistic child. His mother said, “Marijuana saved my child's life”. I’ll bet this brought hundreds of irate emails about turning autistic children into marijuana intoxicated “stoners”.

Those persons, even some physicians, stuck on the movie Reefer Madness absent mindedly seem to believe that marijuana/cannabis somehow destroys the minds of any user. I will point out that many of our presidents have used MJ but maybe that is a bad example.

Many prescription drugs are severe brain depressants. All opiates (morphine, Oxycontin, etc.) but I’ve never read that those patients are intoxicated or stoned! Even Benadryl is a brain depressant. Are such patients stoned?

According to my Merck Manual about 1% of children have autism ranging from mild to pure hellions whose brains are either frozen in space, scrambled or some combination. For most, almost no standard medicine works and the most used, Ritalin and Amphetamines, have killed hundreds.

Behavioral therapy touted by many psychologists etc. seems only minimally effective and costs a fortune.

I have posted several articles about the success of marijuana, the vegetable, (search Autism Leveque) being used to treat autistic children. I got a flood of emails both supportive and many virulently opposing. I took psychological shelter in my computer and discovered about 1,320,000 hits on Google and about 420 articles. For Autism Therapy it was 2,570,000.

For those stuck on the Reefer Madness diatribe I suggest they come out of that dismal obscene closet and at least check their computers. The fact that there are SOME positive results from marijuana as successful therapy for autism should at least suggest to their minds that it should be looked at.

Autism IS a terrible disease and the burden to parents and/or caregivers is the most severe. Anything that might ameliorate this burden should be considered.

Dr. Phillip Leveque has degrees in chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and minors in physiology and biochemistry. He was a Professor of Pharmacology, employed by the University of London for 20 years, during which time he trained the first doctors in Tanzania. After training doctors, he became an Osteopathic Physician, as well as a Forensic Toxicologist.

Do you have a question, comment or story to share with Dr. Leveque?
Email him: ASK DR. LEVEQUE
More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole".

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dickdirty530 December 2, 2009 3:29 pm (Pacific time)

heather must b one of those blind uneducated ppl we c every day! do some research b4 u talk on something u must not know about mj has many good efx on lots of things the main is THC KILLS CANCER CELLS,protects nerve cells,and many more not to say how it would help our planet it GROWS 10X FASTER THAN ANY OTHER PLANT,MAKES 10X MORE PULP AND STRONGER THAN ANY OTHER AND CONSUMES 10 X MORE CO2 WITCH IS CONSUMING OUR OZONE AND SCREW REEFER MADNESS AND ALL THAT GOV PROP S#*$ U CAN CHECK MY WORK SHOOT GO TO YOU TUBE AND SEARCH THC CANCER AND ULL C HOURS OF VIDEOS THAT WILL MAKE U THINK WOW THEY HAVE BEEN LIEING TO ME!!!! THEY ALL FIGGER IT OUT SOONER OR LATER I HOPE SOONER THAN LATER 4 ALL OUR SAKE!!!K IM DONE CAN GO ON 4 EVER IF I WANTED!!! WELL 1 MORE THING ANY 1 KNOW U CAN MAKE OIL OUT OF HEMP SEED WOW IF WE DID THAT ALL THE RICH POL.'S WOULD LOSE MONEY THATS Y IT HAS BEEN ILLEAGLE

Heather November 30, 2009 7:37 pm (Pacific time)

I appreciate your suggestions. And just so it is known by you, I respect the articles you have written in the past. They are always written with high compassion and love for humanity. And, I don't think this was communicated in my last comment, but despite my misgivings and disagreement about Marijuana as a "cure" or "treatment", I would still prefer the use of cannabis OVER any psychiatric, or heavy chemical, drug. I will look into what you have suggested, but I do not think my stance will change much. I would love for everyone to see the importance in eating right, from a very early age, and proper exercise. I know the body is strange at times, but there is much to be said for completely body-natural cures and alternatives. I am an avid reader of NaturalNews, and suggest to anyone to turn to that website for additional information.

Heather November 30, 2009 10:31 am (Pacific time)

Now, here is my beef with Marijuana use - I am completely and totally AGAINST the use of heavy chemicals touted as a "cure" for various ailments, due to the mind-altering effects they inevitably incur. I actively fight against the over prescribing of powerful drugs such as Ritalin, Zoloft, Risperdal, Vicodin, Oxycontin, and etc.
For the same reason, I am against the usage of Marijuana as a "cure" for ailments. It is mind-altering and in the long run, does not do anything to help the health of the body.
The one thing Marijuana and various other ridiculous drugs have in common is this: THEY COVER THE REAL PROBLEM. It does not HANDLE the problem - it COVERS THE PROBLEM.
My only other problem with how Marijuana has been semi-legalized for medical issues, is now that Marijuana is legal for medical issues, more and more doors are opening to bring more dangerous and illegal drugs into the medical picture - Psychiatrists are attempting to make Ecstasy a possible cure, and more and more psychiatrists are trying to get permission to test out LSD again. It is starting a chain reaction of useless drugs to treat symptoms. This is only for profit, and is, IN FACT, disgusting.

Heather, please review the several dozen stories on this subject, on Salem-News.com, complete with substantial factual data that refutes nearly every point you've made. I also recommend you see the movie “Reefer Madness”. It will really open your eyes and give you further ammunition for your righteous battle.

Winder November 29, 2009 6:21 am (Pacific time)

Another great article, Dr. Phil. I agree that the media need to be less sensational when reporting about medical marijuana. They should, on the other hand, publish some warranted "fear-mongering" when it comes to treating our children with proven harmful man-made chemicals. As Marianne Skolek so aptly points out, Purdue Pharma is marketing dangerous opiods not only to adults, but to children. You never see "Epidemic of Oxycontin Overdoses" in the headlines, though that's indeed what many communities are experiencin (banOxycontin.com has a petition which is approaching 5,000 signatures from people who've been affected by this scourge). And Purdue has the nerve to offer this deadly highly addictive poison as treatment for toddlers' pain. "Ritalin and Adderal Take Children's Lives!" is another true story you won't see published. These legal forms of speed are used to treat ADD and ADHD. Yet the success in a few documented cases of the safest all-natural medicine ever discovered (cannabis) is overblown by mainstream media as potentially devastating. Time for some common sense, America. Thank you Dr. Phil, for doing your part in trying to shed some light on an important subject.

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'Marijuana Saved My Child's Life'

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