The State Medical Board of Ohio is being urged once more by members of the public to add autism spectrum disorder to the list of ailments for which medical marijuana is acceptable. The Ohio Senate is currently debating a bill that would add autistic spectrum disorder to the list of approved diseases and completely remove the State Medical Board’s regulatory authority over the drug.
This is the reason for their reiterated request. A new organization, the Division of Marijuana Control, and an oversight board would be established by Senate Bill 9. The plan will be more responsive to the medicinal marijuana sector, according to the Republican senators who are sponsoring it. A recreational marijuana-initiated statute is also being considered by the legislature.
Voters may resolve the matter as early as November if the legislature doesn’t enact a measure based on the launched statute proposal, which is expected to happen. The State Medical Board has received requests from the public to legalize marijuana for autism for at least three years running. The illnesses for which it can be administered include autism in over 15 states with medical programs.
The State Medical Board solicits public applications for new conditions at the conclusion of each year. The list of ailments was published last week on the Medical Board’s website. It will spend the ensuing months debating the petitions, taking into account both expert evidence and any efficacy-supporting research.
When adding conditions, the Medical Board has generally been cautious, frequently requiring double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled investigations. The Medical Board has only added four illnesses since the state’s medical marijuana statute took effect in 2016. In 2020, cachexia was added. In 2021, it included spasticity, Huntington’s disease, and terminal sickness.
Cannabis is useful for autistic spectrum conditions, according to small research. In a review of the research published in June, it was discovered that several of the studies indicated marijuana products decreased the frequency or severity of symptoms like self-mutilation, anxiety, agitation, and aggression. Additionally, research indicated that cognition, language, and attention had improved.
Cannabis has potential, according to the June review, but further research, including randomized, blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials, is required to fully understand the effects. There are ten petitions before the State Medical Board right now, three of which ask for the addition of autism:
- Depression/anxiety Bipolar 2
- Chronic headaches As it falls under the category of severe or intractable chronic pain, this disease is currently accepted.
- Autism spectrum condition
- Cervical cancer. Currently, the cancer category allows for this disease.
- Worry
- Irritated bowel syndrome IBS has already been identified as a “qualifying illness” for marijuana use.
- Disorder of obsession and compulsivity.
- Depression, neuropathy, and DDD (degenerative disc condition)
The actual applications, some of which contain studies on marijuana’s effectiveness, have not yet been made public by the State Medical Board. The Ohio Medical Cannabis Industry Association, however, claimed that it has submitted IBS, OCD, and autism for consideration to the board. The association’s executive director, Matt Close, claimed to have personally witnessed marijuana’s ability to treat autism in Alabama.
He observed a teen with autism use the medication, which reduced self-harm. 2019 saw the start of her son’s use of medical marijuana for the qualifying illness of seizures, according to Leslie Stokes of the Columbus suburbs. He also has autism, and he observed the advantages of that condition nearly right away. Stokes has always administered her son’s medication in “microdoses,” or tiny amounts, frequently measured in micrograms.
I really like that drug, he remarked, according to Stokes. I questioned why. Because it helps me think, he explained. His brain contains all the information. It’s simply disorganized. That’s how it made an impact on him. I am aware that many autistic children and their families could benefit from this. A functioning family is what you desire.
A disruptive youngster is not what you want. Stokes flies into a frenzy when he loses his temper. Her son bites or bangs his head against objects to cause self-harm. Some autistic children will assault their siblings. She claimed that antipsychotics weren’t helping her son. She claimed that before using medical marijuana, she behaved like a jail warden, always hovering over and attempting to control her son.
He had fits of fury every day. She claimed that there wasn’t much of a family life. It’s very scary. You have a child who is so uncontrollable that they can headbang or bite themselves, the woman remarked. That is a component of autism. I’m aware that when most people think about autism, they picture the oddball child.
And I believe that the population would benefit from Microdosing. Many parents struggle mightily to find their children effective medicine. Stokes reported that her son’s raging bouts eventually subsided after Stokes started Microdosing marijuana over time. First, they reduced their frequency from daily to a few times each week.
Episodes now happen a few times every month. “Is it flawless? Probably not entirely. But does it really make a difference? Yes, it really does help,” she affirmed. Doctors from Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus have consistently shown up to Medical Board hearings to speak against marijuana’s use as a treatment for autism.
Clinical studies for Epidiolex, a cannabis-based seizure drug produced by GW Research, were conducted nationwide. It earned $263,000 for the trials that resulted in the drug’s approval by the US Food and Drug Administration. According to doctors at Nationwide, there isn’t enough scientific proof that marijuana can benefit autistic youngsters.
2019: Rather than utilizing medical marijuana to take a break from their kids, parents can receive respite care, according to a Nationwide doctor. Parents have expressed irritation over the claim that they wish to drug their kids, stating that they already have to deal with the possibility of their kids hurting themselves and worrying about it.
Below are the 25 conditions for which medical marijuana is currently allowed:
