Parents Of Children With Autism, Anxiety Plan Continued Medical Marijuana Fight

A State Medical Board of Ohio committee this week said there is not enough scientific proof medical marijuana helps treat anxiety and autism spectrum disorder.

The decision reverses a recommendation made earlier this summer that the drug be added to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana use in Ohio.

But the board's change isn’t sitting well with parents who hoped to transition their autistic children from prescription drugs to marijuana. 

Carrie Taylor of Marysville has twin boys who suffer from autism and have tried but cannot take the prescription drugs commonly prescribed to help kids with their disorder. 

“It made them rage, it made them tired, they looked sick and they looked like they felt terrible," Taylor said. "And I thought if this is not improving the quality of their life, why are we doing this?"

Her children cannot deal with everyday situations that healthy kids can manage, she said, though she has heard about other children with similar conditions in other states being treated successfully with medical marijuana.

“It’s exciting that there is something available that could help them be part of the community and function and be independent and happy but the fact that it is not legal in Ohio, I’m just watching it happen for other people and it’s very frustrating," Taylor said.

Tessie Pollack, Director of Communications for the State Medical Board of Ohio, says the committee has reversed an earlier recommendation to add autism to the list of conditions for which marijuana could be used based in part on a lack of information on long-term effects.

“There’s just not a lot of peer-reviewed research on the impacts of medical marijuana, especially in children. I think we are going to start to see more studies as states start to adopt medical marijuana programs and more researchers are able to look into that but at this time, they just don’t exist," Pollack said.

One Republican strategist, who is also the father of an autistic child, said he isn’t buying that argument.

“It’s a crutch. That’s is a fallback argument," said Mike Hartley. "Well, we need to do more research. We don’t know what the long-term effects are. Well, wait a second. What about long-term effects of these pills and synthetic drugs are that you are giving our kids?"

Those who want autism and anxiety added to the list of 21 qualifying conditions can come back to the board once new studies come out to make their case, Pollack said.

“The petition requires not just the name of the condition or someone saying ‘I feel this should be the case.’  We are asking for scientific evidence, we are asking for research studies and additional information and you know you can again certainly ask for that condition, but we just want to see additional research studies this time. Sometime new. Some information we didn’t see the first time. And then it can be considered again," Pollack said.

Supporters will likely have another hurdle to face. There has been confusion about whether conditions put on the list can be removed if needed.

Ohio Senate spokesman John Fortney, said Friday the legislature would allow a state agency to make rules on what should be on or off the list. 

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