The past few years have shown a remarkable increase in tolerance to medical marijuana. It’s something that’s been made legal in more and more states, and we’ve seen plenty of new things added to the MMJ conditions lists. In April 2019, there was some big news for everyone in Colorado. Governor Jared Pois signed a bill that officially meant medical marijuana was approved for autism. In essence, patients suffering from this disorder can now use medical marijuana to treat it.
This move came on World Autism Awareness Day, which was a very fitting way of marking the occasion. If you, or someone you know and care about, suffers from autism, then you know all too well how hard it is to treat. Traditional medication doesn’t do a whole load of good, which means many people are left to suffer in silence. Thankfully, things are going to change for anyone with autism in Colorado thanks to this new bill.
How can autism patients use medical marijuana?
Naturally, the approval of medical marijuana for autism means that people can head to a licensed dispensary and get their hands on the good stuff. Of course, smoking medical marijuana is not recommended for children suffering from this condition. But, for adults, it’s seen as a good treatment option – and we’ll talk more about how it helps later on.
Moreover, the move to approve medical marijuana means that a range of cannabis products can now be accessed with ease as well. Parents of children with autism have long been campaigning for this bill as they believe cannabis oils and other products are proven to treat lots of symptoms and help stimulate their child’s brain patterns. It gives them access to an alternative treatment idea that doesn’t include harmful chemicals or drugs that can cause other problems for autism patients.
What are the main benefits of this bill?
Previously, gaining access to medical marijuana products was harder for people wanting to use them to treat autism. It wasn’t impossible, but it was often very costly. The underlying problem is that autism can’t ever be cured. It’s not a condition like chronic pain that could go away after supplementing medical marijuana and trying other treatments as well. So, it’s something that requires constant treatment. As such, this makes it incredibly expensive for anyone that wants to enjoy the benefits of medical marijuana.
However, the new bill that’s approved medical marijuana for autism is changing that. Now, people can actually go to their doctor and get a Medical Cannabis Card. Autism is now an approved condition in Colorado, so you can now get this card – which you were unable to have access to before.
How does this benefit you? Well, it benefits children with autism first and foremost. Any autism patients below this age wouldn’t have access to this treatment until now. With a Medical Cannabis Card, it allows dispensaries to provide medical marijuana to people under the age of 21. As such, it opens the door to treatment for people who previously couldn’t get it.
Not only that, but it makes medical marijuana and cannabis products more affordable as well. Here in Denver, we get the benefit of tax breaks offered by the state. This means that anyone with a Medical Cannabis Card won’t have to pay the 10% retail marijuana tax or the 15% excise tax. That’s a total of 25% of taxes that you no longer need to pay, which adds up to lots of savings over time. In essence, healthcare becomes more affordable for people suffering from autism in this state.
Lastly, by having one of these cards, it also allows patients to access higher potency limits as well. You can now get stronger stuff that might elicit a better response. Before medical marijuana was approved for autism, there were restrictions in place. But, now that it’s on the MMJ list in Colorado, you can get your medical card and enjoy stronger strains!
How does medical marijuana help people with autism?
Autism is one of the most complex health conditions in that patients can endure different experiences. Various types of autism fit into the autistic spectrum, which is why it’s hard to treat the condition. Different people end up with different symptoms and struggle with various things. Plus, as we mentioned earlier, it’s not a condition you can cure – but it can be treated.
Treating autism will help patients cope with some of their worst symptoms. As a result, it lets them live a better life without certain things holding them back all the time. One of the most common signs of autism is that you struggle to really hold yourself in social situations. But, with the right treatment from an early age, people struggling with autism can find ways to adapt and get more comfortable around other people.
So, where does marijuana come into all of this?
Well, it’s proven that marijuana can be used to treat a variety of health conditions – many of which are side effects of suffering from autism. For example, a lot of people on the autistic spectrum suffer from severe anxiety. This stems from a lack of social skills, which ultimately makes them feel very anxious and worried about social situations. The effects of anxiety can linger beyond these interactions, meaning someone with autism suffers from it regularly. But, because of the way cannabis interacts with receptors in your brain, this helps calm the symptoms of anxiety. In fact, many parents have proclaimed that their autistic children benefitted from medical marijuana as it really helped tackle their anxiety issues.
Not only that, but it’s believed medical marijuana and cannabis products can help calm down children with autism as well. There’s a famous case of a boy named Dylan whose parents gave him cannabis oil and saw that his condition improved dramatically. He was a lot calmer, less angry, and easier to talk to and get along with.
Furthermore, a lot of parents that have autistic children say that marijuana has helped control their behavior. It’s led to a reduction in behavior that causes injuries to the child. This largely comes from its ability to regulate their mood and prevent them from doing rash things that will ultimately cause them harm.
Lastly, there are strong links between cannabis and sleep regulation. Specifically, it’s shown to help improve the quality of your sleep. The properties of cannabis allow people to relax and drift off into a pleasant and restful sleep. For people with autism, sleep issues are relatively common. A lot of people believe this comes from an overactive mind that keeps them up at night by overthinking about different things. In fact, if we go back to the point about anxiety, then this can also cause sleepless nights. But, using marijuana to regulate sleep can lead to improved moods as well.
Ultimately, there have been calls for medical marijuana to get approval for autism for many years. Parents were especially adamant that it helps, and they wanted to make it legal and more affordable for their children. By treating this condition from a young age, it allows a child to grow up with more control over it. In essence, they aren’t as adversely affected by it as they would be without any treatment. Perhaps the main reason marijuana is seen to help autism is that it’s very much a condition that affects the brain. People with autism think differently and process things differently to others. This is why a lot of patients exhibit almost genius-level intellect or find it easy to understand complicated things beyond their years. Due to the very nature of cannabis and the way it interacts with brain receptors, it can target the mind and lead to positive results.
How do you get medical marijuana for autism?
After hearing the news and seeing that this bill was passed, you’re probably keen to take advantage of it and finally get medical marijuana to treat autism. But, how can you do this? Yes, you have to book an appointment with your doctor, and yes, you will have to go through the lengthy meeting. But, the good news is that autism is now on the county’s MMJ conditions list, so you – or your child – should be approved. With this card, you will enjoy the tax benefits offered by the state, making marijuana cheaper.
Make no mistake about it, this new bill is huge news in the cannabis world. So, if you live in Denver and need treatment for autism, you can enjoy the benefits of medical marijuana.
