Study on medical cannabis and autism: 90% of patients report an improvement in their condition

The number of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) - characterized by learning, communication and social difficulties, as well as compulsive and repetitive behaviors - is growing worldwide. The symptoms of the disease are also numerous, and require heavy medication.

With the rise of medical cannabis, numerous parent testimonials report that cannabis relieved certain symptoms and improved their children's autonomy and communication skills.

For the moment, there is a lack of studies on the subject, but an Israeli study had already shown that CBD could have positive effects on autistic children. In particular, the researchers showed that CBD reduced stress, violent behavior and anxiety symptoms, and improved communication skills in a significant number of patients. A new Israeli study published in the Nature confirmed and extended these results. It assessed the impact of CBD on the symptoms and quality of life of autistic children, and sought to characterize the type of patients most receptive to the treatment.

Study process and results

Symptoms of autistic disorders include agitation, temper tantrums, communication and cognitive disorders, anxiety, incontinence, depression and more. What's more, around a third of autistic patients also have epilepsy, a condition now known to can be improved with CBD therapy.

The researchers followed 188 patients under the age of 18 with these symptoms over a six-month period. Of the 188 patients, 93 were assessed at the end of treatment using a questionnaire. Of these, 30.1% reported a significant improvement in their condition, 53.7% a moderate improvement, 6.4% a slight improvement and 8.6% no change. In all, 90.2% reported an improvement.

Patients were given cannabis oil containing 30% CBD and 1.5% THC at different dosages (sometimes one drop of oil three times a day, sometimes 20 drops of oil three times a day). The researchers then asked them to rate their quality of life from very poor to very good, and to report any side effects. Around a quarter of the patients surveyed reported some form of adverse effect, but these were often minor. The most common was agitation (6.6%) followed by sleepiness and psychoactive effects, increased appetite, digestive problems (3.2% each), and dry mouth and lack of appetite (2.2%).

Overall, patients reported a significant improvement in their quality of life in terms of mood and autonomy at the end of six months. Before the study, 31.3% rated their quality of life as «good». After six months, this figure more than doubled to 66.8%. For example, 21.5% more patients were able to dress themselves. Regarding the use of other medications, CBD treatment enabled around a third of the children to reduce or stop their use of other medications. 11 patients even stopped taking any other medication.

The researchers« conclusion is clear: »cannabis in patients with ASD appears to be a well-tolerated, safe and effective option for alleviating associated symptoms". Nevertheless, they point out that a randomized, double-blind study is needed to confirm these results and establish cannabis as a viable medicine for the treatment of autistic disorders and their symptoms.