A boy with autism once described as “hostile” and “dangerous” is now healthy and calm thanks to medicinal marijuana, his mom says.
Mieko Hester-Perez gives her son Joey Perez, 10, brownies laced with marijuana to help his appetite and calm his behaviors. Before trying the pot brownies, Hester-Perez says her son exhibited self-injurious and extremely aggressive behaviors and would run out of the house. He also did not want to eat and dropped to just 48 pounds.
Soon after trying the drug, “his demeanor changed,” the California mom says. “He was calm.” Perez gained nearly 40 pounds and he began making sounds for the first time.
Perez’ psychiatrist warns that medical marijuana is not a cure, but that it’s changed Perez for the better. Today the boy takes just two medications a day versus 13 before he started eating the brownies.
But even Hester-Perez recognizes that more research needs to be done on the practice. Trouble is that it’s tough to get government funding to research medicinal uses of marijuana, experts say.
Meanwhile, doctors critical of the practice say that putting kids under the effect of a drug is not the answer. It could lead to addiction, psychosis and even schizophrenia, they say.
Hester-Perez remains undeterred convinced that marijuana “balanced” her son and saved his life, reports ABC News. To read more click here.
More in Health & Behavior »
Copyright © 2009 Disability Scoop, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Post a Comment
Comments are moderated and will not appear until they are approved. All comments must be in compliance with the DisabilityScoop.com Terms and Conditions. Please stay on-topic, keep your comments brief and refrain from inserting links or using abusive language.
You must be logged in to post a comment. Click here to login or register.
Cannabis could lead to EARLIER development of psychosis and schizophrenia in those who are already predisposed to the development of it.
To criticize this mom and frighten her with the specter of psychosis and schizophrenia is the height of medical hypocrisy. I’ve received nothing but support for putting my kid on the equivalent of crystal meth.
I would never dream of criticizing a parent dealing with a severely autistic child. However, I would strongly question whether she’s tried other treatments such as the GF/CF/Diet. I have spoken with hundreds of parents whose children were self injurious and aggressive prior to starting the diet and treating for gastro-intestinal problems such as candida over-growth. When treated for these issues, most children improve dramatically without the use of drugs (legal or illegal). Furthermore, their appetite improves and they grow and thrive which this child definitely has not with all of his 2-13 drugs per day. The addition of vitamin supplementation as researched at the Autism Research Program at Arizona State University would also make an enormous difference in this child’s life. I would recommend looking at nutrition long before recommending illegal and possibly long-term injurious drugs.
Autismdad – One clarification, the marijuana is legal. Twice you refer to it as an illegal drug. fyi
Before my son, who has ADHD Autism and Tourette’s and post concussive syndrome from a car accident, was prescribed medical marijuana, he was on every psych med known to man. Before this script with mj he was hospitalized several times for long periods of time…..the cops were called to my house too many times to count. Now he is on the minimum of meds and takes a small dose of mj every night at nine pm and goes right to sleep…..Before the script he would get up and walk around at night from 10 pm to about 4 pm; really dangerous. He was just restless. There were friends and family and neighbor’s looking for him. It has been a terrible journey in that regard.
My point is, it would take someone 15 minutes and FIVE tons of medical pot to overdose. I am so grateful to have found this simple, natural remedy. I am grateful to be living in socal.
My son does best on a strain of mj which has a balance of sativa rather than indica. This is great for isomnia.
I do not smoke mj, have been a nurse for 35 years, and have always shied away from meds to treat my son. I know he has not been hospitalized and is 95 to 98 per cent less aggressive now and still has managed to write two books and a short story. I believe mj has made the difference.
I am for whatever works. Felt I should weigh in on the subject.
“Pot could lead to an ealier onset of psychosis or szizophrenia….”
I believe those studies were debunked.
If you are predisposed, as my younger sister was, than drinking water could tip you over the edge!
I beleve some scientific studies debunking this notion of pot the dangerous drug, can be found on the NORML website.
REEFER MADNESS was idiocy back in the 30′s and it is silly today! Check out ALL the possible permanent side efects of the psych meds they use on kids who have autism.
There is an army of docs in the UK who are against using some of these antipsychotic drugs EVER on people who have autism!
“If you have enough money, you can buy any statistic.”
geeegee the nurse
How about GF/CF/MJ brownies? Sounds like it could be the best of both worlds. My child is high-functioning austistic…very smart, very verbal, but socially inept. He gets aggressive and confrontational.
OMG ! The doctors are worried about ADDICTION AND PSYCHOSIS now! PLEASE Sorry about all the yelling but that is a bunch of bull. Are the doctors not worried about all the adderall and other types of speed they feed the poor kids that exhibit too much imagination and energy. So many children I have seen perscribed speed because the parents are too lazy to get them exercise and to listen to their ideas. I DO NOT THINK ALL CHILDREN ARE WRONGLY PERSCRIBED these things but really some are. I would much rather give my little child or any child some herbs than the rough speed in adderall and the like that gives horrible side effects. I however have seen a person with severe behaviors get help from resperdol. (spelling?) I think medical should be legal. But it’s not here. I’m certain it would help cancer patients eat too.