autism Archives - TheJointBlog

Study: 80% of Autistic Children Saw Improvements Afer Consuming CBD

August 8, 2018 by Anthony Martinelli

In a new study published by the journal Neurology, 80% of children with autism saw improvements in their condition after being administered cannabidiol (CBD).

For the study, 60 children with an average age of 12 were given cannabis oil containing 20% CBD and 1% THC, for a period of seven months.

After the seven-month period, children filled out a questionnaire asking if they noticed any changes in their condition. Parents were asked if they noticed any changes in their child’s condition, and were asked about any changes in their child’s anxiety levels and communication abilities.

Louisiana Senate Passes Measure to Allow Medical Marijuana for Autism

May 9, 2018May 9, 2018 by Anthony Martinelli

Louisiana’s full Senate has passed a bill that would allow those with autism spectrum disorders to become legal medical marijuana patients.

The Senate passed House Bill 627 by a vote of 21 to 10. The measure has already passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 71 to 21. Given the Senate approved some minor amendments to the bill, it will need to be passed once more by the House before it can be sent to Governor John Bel Edwards for consideration.

House Bill 627 would expand Louisiana’s medical marijuana program, passed into law last year, by adding autism spectrum disorders to the list of medical conditions that qualify someone to become a medical cannabis patient.

Louisiana House, Senate Committee Approve Bill to Allow Medical Marijuana for Autism

May 3, 2018 by Anthony Martinelli

Louisiana’s Senate Health and Welfare Committee has passed a bill to allow those with autism spectrum disorders to become medical marijuana patients.

Today’s vote on House Bill 627 by the Senate Health and Welfare Committee comes roughly a month after the measure was passed by the full House of Representatives in a 71 to 21 vote. The bill must now be passed by the full Senate before it can be sent to Governor John Bel Edwards for consideration.

The proposed law would expand the state’s medical marijuana program, approved in 2017, by adding autism spectrum disorders to the list of qualifying conditions.

Colorado House and Senate Votes to Add Autism Spectrum Disorders as Qualifying Medical Cannabis Conditions

April 30, 2018 by Anthony Martinelli

A proposal that would add autism spectrum disorders to Colorado’s medical cannabis program has been passed through its second reading in the Senate, having already been approved by the full House of Representatives.

House Bill 1263 was filed by State Representative Edith Hooton (D) along with a bipartisan group of three additional lawmakers. The measure was passed by the House on April 12 in a 53 to 11 vote, and today it was approved through its second reading in the Senate. It will now need to receive one final vote in the Senate before it can be sent to Governor John Hickenlooper for consideration.

According to its official summary, “The bill adds autism spectrum disorders to the list of disabling medical conditions that authorize a person to use medical marijuana for his or her condition.”

Louisiana Committee Votes to Add Autism Spectrum Disorder to State’s Medical Marijuana Program

April 3, 2018 by Anthony Martinelli

A Louisiana House committee has voted in favor of a bill to add autism spectrum disorder to the state’s list of qualifying medical marijuana conditions.

The House Health and Welfare Committee voted 9 to 4 last week to pass House Bill 627, sending it towards a vote by the full House of Representatives. The bill would expand the state’s medical marijuana program, approved in 2017, by adding autism spectrum disorders to the list of qualifying conditions.

John Vanchierre, M.D., who heads up the Louisiana chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, argued in opposition to the measure, saying that there isn’t enough studies proving that marijuana can help those with autism.

Hawaii Bill Adding Five New Medical Cannabis Conditions Passes House Committee

March 22, 2017 by Anthony Martinelli

The Hawaii House Health Committee has passed a measure that wold expand the state’s medical cannabis program. They also unanimously passed a bill to change state law to refer to “medical marijuana” as “medical cannabis”.

Senate Bill 174, which has already passed the Senate with a unanimous 25 to 0 vote, passed the House Health Committee yesterday; the vote was 4 to 2. The proposal would add lupus, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and autism as conditions that qualify someone to become a legal medical cannabis patient.

Currently medical cannabis use in Hawaii is limited to those with cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS or a “chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces” cachexia, severe pain or nausea, seizures, sever muscle spasms or post traumatic stress disorder.

Hawaii Senate Votes Unanimously to Allow Medical Cannabis for Lupus, Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Arthritis and Autism

March 7, 2017 by Anthony Martinelli

A Hawaii measure that would expand the list of qualifying medical cannabis conditions has been passed by the state’s full Senate.

Senate Bill 174 was passed today with a unanimous 25 to 0 vote. It now goes to the House of Representatives, where its passage will send it to Governor David Ige for consideration.

If passed into law, the proposal would allow those with lupus, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and autism to become registered medical cannabis patients, allowing them to possess, purchase (from a licensed dispensary) and use cannabis and cannabis products for medical use.

Georgia House Passes Medical Marijuana Bill

March 1, 2017March 1, 2017 by Anthony Martinelli

Georgia’s full House of Representatives has passed a bill that would significantly expand a medical marijuana law passed in 2015.

House Bill 65, sponsored by State Representative Allen Peake (R), was passed with an overwhelming 156 to 6 vote. The measure would expand a law passed in 2015 that allows for the medical use of low-THC cannabis medicines like tinctures and oils to include Alzheimer’s disease, autism, HIV/AIDS, autoimmune disease, Tourette’s syndrome epidermolysis bullosa and peripheral neuropathy as qualifying conditions.

The bill approved by the House would remove a one-year residency requirement for those wanting to become a medical cannabis patient. It would also allow those with medical cannabis cards from other states to legally possess and use the medicine in Georgia.

Study: Cannabinoids May Help Treat Symptoms of Autism

November 15, 2016 by Anthony Martinelli

Cannabinoids may provide a potential treatment option for the “associated symptoms displayed by autistic patients”. This is according to a new study published in the Journal Translational Psychiatry.

“Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by altered sociability, compromised communication and stereotyped/repetitive behaviors, for which no specific treatments are currently available”, begins the study’s abstract. “Prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) is a known, although still underestimated, environmental risk factor for ASD. Altered endocannabinoid activity has been observed in autistic patients, and endocannabinoids are known to modulate behavioral traits that are typically affected in ASD.”

On this basis, researchers “tested the hypothesis that changes in the endocannabinoid tone contribute to the altered phenotype induced by prenatal VPAexposure in rats, with focus on behavioral features that resemble the core and associated symptoms of ASD.”

Illinois Panel Approves Medical Cannabis Use for Eight New Conditions

October 7, 2015 by Anthony Martinelli

By Associated Press

An advisory board voted Wednesday to add eight health conditions — including chronic pain syndrome, autism, osteoarthritis and post-traumatic stress disorder — to the list of illnesses that can be treated by medical marijuana in Illinois.

The state’s Medical Cannabis Advisory Board had expressed frustration last month when Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration rejected its first 11 suggestions for expanding the list of medical conditions. Osteoarthritis and PTSD were on that earlier list, so Wednesday’s votes reaffirmed the board’s viewpoint and put the matter back in Rauner’s hands.