Is it alright to Smoke weed, if you have Autism?

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People in places where marihuana is not a crime don't report the feelings of paranoia...

Its like that with alcohol some drinkers become the life of the party or become more able to talk to woman but there are a lot who become a**holes who get into fights or abuse their loved ones. As you say it depends on the person. Just remember you cannot overdose on Marijuana but you can overdose and die on alcohol.

I was hesitant to even post this, as it's 230AM and i need to get to sleep, in addition to not having the clearest of mind right now. But i feel i must, so here goes:

I have epilepsy. I've tried many combinations of RX anticonvulsants, and none are as effective as marijuana for seizure-prevention. I prepare it by 'cooking' it into coconut oil and injecting this oil into capsules while it is still liquid, at which point it goes into the refrigerator or just a cool shelf to solidify. I also have a Magic Flight Launch Box prepped and ready to go if i ever have an aura. It's effectiveness is probably due to the fact that it acts in a manner similar to most anticonvulsants, in addition to supressing the limbic system, as well as being neuroprotective. This entire paragraph is fact, please do not try and minimize/dismiss it.

I realize this discussion is not about epilepsy, but it has also grown to have little to do with ASDs and almost everything to do with the medical value of cannabis. The thing is, though, what is perhaps the single most important factor in marijuana from a MEDICAL perspective has only been touched on, from a RECREATIONAL point of view:

CANNABINOIDS !

THC is what is responsible for getting you high. THC is what cannabis is bred for, thanks to RECREATIONAL users. THC is what increases chances of things like schizophrenia [in folks who were already susceptible] and seizures [in my case] and on and on. THC is the 'upper' alot of folks appreciate, as well - albeit also being responsible for any sensation of ANXIETY ! It's what helps with glaucoma, and it has been shown to fight many types of cancer, more effectively than chemotherapy. One of many research papers. See table 2. On and on and on. But i digress...

However, CBD is where much medical value lies. It is the anticonvulsant that helps me in three ways, where RX's have been ineffective at all. It is what relieves pain, aids sleep, reduces swelling, eases anxiety, and many other things.

What's my point ? Well consider a scenario i personally have both heard the aftermath of and prevented [in different folks, lol]:

Person A has epilepsy, RXs don't work. Considers cannabis. Acquires cannabis.
What happens next ?

Well that depends. What kind of marijuana did they acquire ? Chances are, if they've never used before, and get some heavy-duty Skunky type stuff they will be SCREWING themselves, because they have just obtained some very high-thc cannabis with CBD intentionally bred and cured out. On the other hand, if they just get some cheapo stuff from a pal [with much lower thc levels] to try it out, they will stumble upon a very inexpensive and effective medicine. A third and VERY unlikely scenario [in my experience, i have NEVER seen this 3rd scenario] is the seller is knowledgable enough to know what CBD is and that it's what the buyer needs, and has something of that sort. This is based on PERSONAL FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE. I have SEEN BOTH scenarios happen. It's that simple, but the thing is, this goes far beyond epilepsy.

If you tend to be a very anxious person, a high-thc strain is not something you wanna just jump right into. Yes, it will give you energy and motivation, but as a new user, this energy and motivation is likely to manifest as fear and panic.

What this all boils down to, folks, is simple: PLEASE DO NOT DISMISS CANNABIS' MEDICAL VALUE BASED ON DECADES OF SELECTIVELY BREEDING FOR HIGH THC AND LOW CBD.

HIGH THC = HIGH ANXIETY POTENTIAL
[fun/energy and secondary medical benefits being a more ideal goal]
HIGH CBD = HIGH MEDICAL POTENTIAL
[ sleepiness perhaps being the only downside, if not accounted for]


There is far too much fact in cannabis' medical value to ignore it. No-one can tell me otherwise, and only the ignorant would ignore the facts, in favor of... paranoia ! Not to say it's for everyone, mind you. Anyhow i know i'm rambling. I do however have three additional grains of thought:

Any cannabis anyone on this board has tried has almost certainly had 10x more THC than CBD, even as much as 50x would not be unheard of. The cannabis i consume has roughly 2x more CBD than THC. CBD mitigates the effects of THC and vice-versa, so the ratio of the two in the cannabis you are consuming plays a large part in the effects of the cannabis you are consuming.

Use a vaporizer instead of smoking. I reccomend the MyrtleZap, the Arizer Solo and the Magic Flight Launch Box. I am NOT affiliated with ANY company, in fact i have ZERO income. They are simply, in my opinion, the best alternatives to combustion.

And, finally: A bunch of FACTS.

Let me be the first to reply to my own post:

After a fairly dismal night's sleep, and upon re-reading my post for typos/blatant oversights, etc, i realize one thing in particular:

It seems like i could be taken as a douche trying to push cannabis and imply that there is little to no reason to 'stay away' from it.

The 'douche' tone that may or may not be present is a result of frustration with the lack of knowledge/education *in general* regarding cannabinoids' value, function, and existence. I am *not* trying to make it seem like everyone in here should already know all about this stuff, although i wish that were true.

If it weren't for my having experience with supposed Medical Marijuana Dispensaries not having a SINGLE strain of MMJ with CBD over 1%, i probably would not be anywhere near as frustrated as i am. There IS such a thing as Medical Marijuana, as opposed to recreational - and most people, even most marijuana users do not realize that. Most think of 'medical grade' marijuana as simply the best of the best, and while that is GREAT if a person is suffering from a condition in which THC is the *primary, active medical ingredient* for your particular condition, more often than not, this isn't the case, and said person probably doesn't even have the slightest clue. IMO Medical Marijuana should first and foremost refer to High-CBD marijuana - something SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT from 'Street' marijuana that, dare i say, is the *only* marijuana anyone in here has experience with. [Man, that douchey tone seems to come out in that last sentence again... sorry ]

Sorry for the duo-rant here, i just feel that this one issue is one many many people need to come to realize who are on the fence or even opposed to MMJ, or even marijuana in general.

On a side note, someone earlier posted a study from 1978. </douche?> Really ? Really ? Get real. See the last sentence of my prior post for some unbiased studies. </douche?>

I've found the replies to this question (which is posted quite frequently), are extremely predictable.

Reply Categories:

• From those who have never smoked weed: Either: "I've never smoked weed and don't know much about it, but you should make your own choices." or "I've never smoked weed and never will. I think it's a bad idea for anyone."
• From those who smoke weed: "There's nothing wrong with it. Smoke up!"
• From those who used to smoke it, and quit because they realized it was doing them harm: "Don't!"
• From those who used to smoke weed and quit for no particular reason: "Whatever..."

I wonder what anyone can really learn from any of the answers considering the sources.

Do your research and make up your own mind.

To me a more valuable question would be, "From those of you who quit, why did you quit?"

My answer: "Because it exacerbated every aspect of my Autism beyond belief. It is undeniable that quitting freed me up to actually DEAL with my Autism. Pot did nothing but inhibit my ability to deal with it."

My personal experience:

MJ makes me feel "normal" for lack of a better term. It puts me more in touch with my mind and body. It's almost like it filters out the AS for a little while.

Having a sensitive nervous system I have to be picky about what strains I smoke, luckily I live in a medical marijuana state so I can do just that. I have to stick mostly to pure indicas to avoid anxiety.

Also, overindulgence is not good for me mentally. Too much can have me thinking negative thoughts whereas just a little here and there seems to do the trick so I try to limit intake to a small bowl or one-hitter once or twice a night. I also need to pay attention to my mental state before smoking, over time I have learned when smoking is not advisable for me.

I have found strains that contain a cross with G-13 work best. Chances of anxiety are very low with G-13 crosses. I am assuming it has high levels of cbd, which is hard to find these days as it is slowly being bred out of marijuana chemistry through growers trying to increase the thc content.

I would think MJ would not be advisable to people who are severely afflicted with AS/autism, etc due to their propensity to anxiety. However for those not severely afflicted I think MJ can be a godsend. Proper diet and exercise also play an important role for me, smoking is not a cure-all.

I have smoked (decriminalized, medical-grade) herb many times for a non-AS-related health condition. There is no doubt in my mind that cannabis has potent and legitimate health benefits in certain situations.

Is AS one of those situations/conditions? I don't know the answer. It's been interesting to read through the thread and hear the pro and con arguments.

I will, however, say that I am not a prohibitionist; I believe it should be legal for any adult who finds it healing/educational/recreational/fun, not just for strictly defined "medicinal" purposes.

Actually I have tried what is known as medicinal marijuana....and they do have some pretty good strains, and They probably do have some with more CBD though they definatly have some with a high amount of THC as well. But there is quite a lot of variation in street marijuana as I might be lucky with having never gotten laced or really bad quality marijuana but yeah the cannabis outside of the dispensaries is just as good if not better a lot of times......at least in my experiance.

I really think it should just be legal, then there would be more freedom to study the medicinal effects of cannabis and get more accurate information out without the stigma attatched to it being illegal federally and all that.

What i meant to convey there, was that a whole LOT of people know/use the term medical marijuana *strictly* to refer to high-grade, high-quality marijuana. Or perhaps, say, marijuana sold at a dispensary. It's sort of a utopian idea to me that anyone using the phrase "medical marijuana" would know and understand the value of CBD, and that high-CBD is a feature that pretty much only medical users care about. As mentioned earlier, i know of far too many dispensaries that don't stock a single strain with more than 1% CBD. Such dispensaries should be ashamed. I certainly do not dismiss the potential value of quality marijuana in general, although in the context of anxiety issues, high-THC generally would not be the way to go, thus the comparison to 'street' marijuana. Strains with decent levels of CBD in relation to THC are quite hard to come by, at least from what i've seen. One thing in particular that bugs me as well is the advice i see peppered all over the internet [in the context of epilepsy treatment, my main involvment in MMJ] is advising folks that strain X would be good for epilepsy because [insert random recreational-user comment here] all the while having no experience to back it up, and likely not even knowing of CBD's existence. "Head high" vs "Body high" seems to frequently be assumed equivalent to THC/CBD content as well. Of course a fella should try out strains and one strain will be better than the next, i'm just trying to help people start with something more appropriate, and, more often than not, high-CBD. Jeeze am full of rants or what !

Full Spectrum Labs has done quite a few analyses of various strains, and it is quite interesting to see the great variance in test results even within the same strain ! Purple Diesel is my strain of choice, in part because it's the only strain that i can find with any kind of regularity. Check some strains out, you might be surprised. [You being anyone reading this who gives a rat's bum, lol.]

Well CBD is definatly important but they have found medicinal benifits from THC as well, it all depends on why the person is using medicinal marijuana which strains would be the most effective. But yes a dispensary should have different kinds availible some with a higher CBD content.....otherwise they are not running the dispensary very well.

The thing about weed is that different strains have different effects, and it effects everyone differently. Some make you more anxious, some knock you out, some can be trippy, and some give you a nice steady high with good energy and focus. I haven't been experimenting with it for that long, but I've been reading about it alot for my own personal education. And I've noticed that with some types of weed, I could go to work totally baked and have the best concentration ever. I'm super chilled out (which is good because I work in retail and am forced to talk to people) and am not really worried if any of my weird quirks slip. If I have a day off and have errands to run, I get them done.

With other types I noticed that it really messed up my memory, like worse than it already is. So I don't use that kind regularly anymore. So, if you're not afraid to, just do some experimenting (probably when you don't have something important to do) and see how it works with you. Do some research about it. Someone mentioned on here that maybe you shouldn't mix it with other meds. I don't know if that's true, but it's a good point and worth checking into.

No. Autism is not an excuse to do illegal narcotics, rot your brain, destroy your lungs and be a burden on the healthcare system.

Alcohol is legal, you may want to try that, *or* do what most adult aspies do - learn to cope with life!

Here is what happens when you abuse alcohol. Alcoholics are a great burden on the healthcare system more so than pot smokers. You also have to factor in other alcohol related incidents such as drunk driving, drunken brawls, spousal abuse, child abuse, rape, and unplanned pregnancies. You may try alcohol and become an alcoholic and become another statistic you will be an even greater burden to the healthcare system then a pot head.

1) Kills your liver
2) Alcohol poisoning
3) Whiskey Dick (Sexual dysfunction)
4) Coma
5) Heart Disease
6) Wernicke–Korsakoff Syndrome (Rots your brain)
7) Birth defects in children whose mothers drank when they were with child (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome)
8 ) Blackouts
9) Essential tremors
10) Alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis
11) Heart attack and stroke
12) Cardiomyopathy
13) Alcoholic Lung disease
14) Rheumatoid arthritis
15) Cancer
16) Osteoporosis

Wow what fun!! !! Let me run out to the liqure store so I can drink some beers and be like the rest of the sheep. I'll stick to my marijuana, thank you very much. If you smoke or eat too much cannabis you get a little sick to your stomach but you will not die. Drink too much alcohol you go into a coma then you die. If your are a woman and you drink yourself into unconsiousness at a party you wake up wondering where your clothes went and pregnate not knowing who the father is. What fun!

Last edited by Todesking on 26 Oct 2011, 1:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.

First off, you don't sound like you really want to hear anything negative about it.

Second, what you've experienced is dangerous, especially if you like it and keep seeking to duplicate it, and let me tell you why, from experience.

That kind of experience happened to me quite frequently when I first started experimenting with pot. Over time, it stopped happening so much, as it will with you. So, in chasing those psychedelic experiences, but no longer getting them, pot wasn't enough anymore. Can you see where I'm going with this?

Step 1 - Pot
Step 2 - Hashish
Step 3 - Opiated pot
Step 4 - Mushrooms
Step 5 - LSD

Step 6 - "What the hell am I doing to myself? This needs to stop!"

Okay, so you don't want a lecture, then I won't give you one. I will only say that if you get "hooked" on that kind of experience, there's the road you are headed for.

'Nuff said.

I get the feeling you know nothing about cannabis......for one it does not rot your brain, hell I imagine the prescription opiates doctors prescribe are more likely to rot your brain then cannabis. Not to mention there is not much proof that cannabis destroyes your lungs.........it can contribute to respitory problems if you smoke it because that is what happens when you smoke anything.

Also, alcohol may be legal, but cannabis is safer......it would seem cannabis was made illegal for stupid reasons, and alcohol is only legal because the entire nation will throw a fit if they outlaw it.

And just so you are aware some adults have a lot to deal with......some of them have mental issues that make things even harder to cope with and well in my opinion if cannabis helps them to deal with things I'm all for it, that's why I smoke it.

I posted this earlier in this thread but I am going to post it again because you need to watch this! There is documented proof that alcohol will rot your brain it is called Wernicke–Korsakoff Syndrome. Maybe you should lay off the alcohol learn to cope without it!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZyqhtwmJ5c&feature=related[/youtube]

Effects on Brain

Frequent Marijuana Use May Affect Brain Function But Not Structure
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 090541.htm

Cannabis and the brain.
http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/con ... 126/6/1252

Non-acute (residual) neurocognitive effects of cannabis
http://www.hnrc.ucsd.edu/publications_p ... rt2003.pdf

Therapeutic potential of cannabinoids in CNS disease
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12617697

Lack of hippocampal volume change in long-term heavy cannabis users.
http://marijuana.researchtoday.net/archive/2/4/358.htm

A preliminary DTI study showing no brain structural change associated with adolescent cannabis use
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articl ... =pmcentrez

Effects of Alcohol and Combined Marijuana and Alcohol Use During Adolescence on Hippocampal Volume and Asymmetry
ttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles ... ool=pubmed

Attack of the munchies
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6 ... chies.html

Cannabis and the brain.
http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/con ... 126/6/1252

Marijuana May Grow Neurons in the Brain
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/ ... tress/1934