She’s seeking more research; Experts skeptical

From ABC Good Morning America (with video):

Mieko Hester-Perez of Fountain Valley, Calif., tells ABC Good Morning America that she used marijuana brownies to save the life of her ten-year-old son, who has autism. She says the controversial “treatment” improved his appetite and demeanor, and allowed him to reduce the number of medications he takes.

“I saved my son’s life, and marijuana saved my son’s life… When a mother hears that her son is knocking on death’s door, you will do anything to save his life,” said Hester-Perez.

Experts raise concerns about using marijuana in a way that has not been proven to provide benefits.

“He is intoxicated. He’s stoned,” said Dr. Sharon Hirsch, a child psychiatrist at the University of Chicago. “It means that he’s under the influence of a drug and may have an addiction. It can cause psychosis, may lead to schizophrenia. [There's] no evidence at all at this time and no reason to prescribe any kind of marijuana for a child with autism.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 5:55 pm and is filed under autism, controversial procedures. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.