11/11 Success rate for UCI Study

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http://medicalmarijuana411.com/mmj411_v3/?p=9833

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9yoz6tVk1c

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cannabis- ... 3914193460

Still waiting for the full write up but that's the result we've been waiting to hear.

11/11 happy families

"Medicine begins and ends with the patient's narrative." - Andrew Wakefield, who's not wrong about that just because he was misconstrued disastrously elsewhere earlier

With all due respect, this is simply anecdotal evidence. When some hard core studies show strong evidence, ring me up. Anecdotal evidence is useful since it can drive the questions that generate formal investigations. But it is only a starting point.

Seeing as there is only a behavioural basis for the diagnosis of ASD, rather than there being a biological basis, then how can it not be anecdotal or at least subjective?

When the UCI study comes out we will get some more meaningful numbers, until then we just have to be content with reports of statistically significant improvements in all 11 families, and as you know already, it's hard to do proper blind studies with something that is psychoactive. We do know that placebo is remarkably ineffective for treating ASD when compared to it's success profile for most ailments

How would you like your evidence sir?

I'm open minded. It would not surprise me at all to find that cannabinoids have useful effects for some autistics. I'm just an old cynical fart and it takes a lot to get me excited.

The problem with your 11 for 11 observation is that we don't have any way of knowing if that number is accurate. Maybe 100 families tried cannabis and 89 just never reported a negative result. That's why formal studies are useful. Properly structured, they give much more accurate information. A 100% success rate strains credulity if only for the simple reason that autism is a widely varying condition. It would be astonishing to find any single treatment that is effective for all autistics.

In a nutshell, 11 families started giving their autistic kid(s) cannabis as and when required (every 2-3 days in Joey's case).

All 11 families report their kids being healthier and happier and easier to manage.

I'm sure they've done proper scores like this: http://www.cannabis-med.org/data/pdf/en_2010_04_1.pdf

Excerpt:
Subscales Before (May '09) After (Nov '09)
Irritability 38 13
Lethargy 23 11
Stereotype 16 9
Hyperactivity 47 20
Inappropriate speech 6 0

In this particular study you could probably say 'the nightmare of autism is over' for 11 families

As I said, I'm not closed minded. 11 families is a tiny sample. It's a very interesting result. But interesting is not the same as conclusive. What is the mechanism by which the drug works? (unknown). What are the long term side effects? (unknown) Does this change the hyperplasticity found in some autistic brains? (unknown) If not, then is it only masking the autistic traits?

Too many questions.

I like questions.

Interesting, I very much hope research continues with a larger sample to prove this properly, 11 families isn't much but it's still a good sign to see therel ives improve.

So how do these kids have the pot? do they smoke it?

I believe they've all had them in cakes / cookies or whatever the kid will eat (autistic kids and eating... I won't patronise you!).

I know that Mieko collects video and written accounts of families who have used this method and I believe these accounts to number in the thousands.

The story is always the same! It nearly always works. Where it doesn't work, a change in strain works. I've never heard of if not working when there has been time and a range of cannabis strains to experiment with.

I use it myself and I smoke it because it is a better effect. Makes me more 'normal'. Eating it can be a big heavy. Other people think it's better whether I eat it or smoke it but from my own perspective smoking works best.

The kids in the study were too young to smoke (although I've seen a 6 year old roll a joint back home in England, about 20 years ago, so it's not unheard of!)

The mechanism by which cannabis works is better known than most realise, and knowledge is growing by the day! It is information about autism that is lacking.

The endocannabinoid system is core, autism is core, the question is hardcore! 200 genes suspected in ASD but even the most common are only found in 5% of us? It's like saying what's the difference between a man-eating bear and a non-man-eating bear? We all know the difference, enough cannabis will stop the man eater from eating men. Can you find a scientist who can explain the biological difference between a man eating bear and a vegetarian bear? Probably, eventually, but we're about as close with autism.

Maybe autism is an endocannabinoid deficiency, or a cannabinoid receptor deficiency, or something. Wouldn't that be neat?

I have a good many clues telling me it's more than just masking, but nothing I've distilled into a proper essay yet.