The state of Pennsylvania is anticipated to begin awarding their first medical marijuana licenses today.
And, eager to learn more about the medicinal effect of the plant’s active compounds, Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University has announced their intention to study the synergistic effect of the plant’s many terpenes and cannabinoids on children suffering from autism.
Though anecdotal evidence has suggested for years that marijuana benefits those with autism spectrum disorder, Gary Sasso, Lehigh’s Dean of Education, is eager for the University to collect some of the first quantifiable data on the holistic treatment option.
One of the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the United States, autism adversely affects 1 in 68 kids. On average, boys are nearly 4 times more likely than girls to be diagnosed within the autism spectrum, costing the average American family nearly $60,000 a year in additional medical expenses.
According to the Morning Call, Lehigh University has an extensive history of working with autistic children. Providing annual workshops and helpful symposiums, Sasso clarified that Lehigh University is eager to enter into a research partnership with BioGreen Farms. Still waiting to be awarded a license to grow their medicinal marijuana in the Township of Williams Pennsylvania, BioGreen’s medical director is none other than Dr. Sue Sisley.
Fired by the University of Arizona in 2014 after winning federal approval to research marijuana’s active cannabinoids on veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Dr. Sisley was later named the 2015 Researcher of the Year by Americans for Safe Access at the National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference.
Dr. Sisley, who has tenaciously struggled to gain federal approval to study the plant’s medicinal compounds as a treatment for PTSD noted, “The federal government has systematically impeded efficacy studies.”
credit:marijuana.com
