London, United Kingdom: Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience sustained improvements in their symptoms following the use of cannabis products, according to observational data published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology Reports.
British investigators assessed the use of plant-derived cannabis products (either oils, flower, or a combination of both) in a cohort of 130 adults (mean age: 34) with a primary diagnosis of ASD enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. Participants possessed a doctor’s authorization to access cannabis products. (British healthcare specialists may prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Researchers assessed the efficacy of cannabis on patients’ symptoms at one, three, six, 12, and 18 months.
Consistent with prior studies, study participants exhibited improvements in anxiety, sleep, and in their overall health-related quality of life following cannabis therapy. Eighty-one percent of patients reported no adverse events from cannabis. Among those who did report side-effects, most classified them as either “mild” or “moderate.”
“The present findings align with previous research demonstrating the potential benefits of CBMPs [cannabis-based medicinal products] in ASD,” the study’s authors concluded.
Other observational studies assessing the use of cannabis products among patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry have reported them to be beneficial for those diagnosed with treatment-resistant epilepsy, cancer-related pain, anxiety, endometriosis, hypermobility disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, insomnia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, migraine, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, substance use disorders, and inflammatory arthritis, among other conditions.
Full text of the study, “UK Medical Cannabis Registry: A clinical outcome analysis for autism spectrum disorder,” appears in Neuropsychopharmacology Reports. Additional information on cannabinoids and ASD is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.