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Seeking Help To Include Autism As Qualifying Condition


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mpp is not a player in this, and I don't see how they could help, but go for it.  I am certain if this move is successful, they will be more than happy to take credit!

 

the lawsuit to go to court has been filed, as Zap states... it's a no hard feelings type of deal where LARA will have to show proof that their administrative rules on this topic are legally correct.  

 

if successful the public testimony will not be too far away, and Zap is correct, that is the ball to keep our eye's on...

 

top notch work by all the Doctors, Lawyers and Volunteers.... all working for free.... no, all working at their own expense for the benefit of others.  Pretty darn inspiring...

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  • 3 months later...

good catch, yes the law states very clearly that they can only reject a petition, not the condition itself.

 

you've probably written about this in your briefs, but heres what i would say:

 

how could you reject a petition for autism, and then every other chance to put autism will fail?

what if there is new scientific research and reports to be reviewed ? what if there is a new breakthrough treatment with marijuana? because it was rejected once, its rejected forever? thats not scientific, and that policy would harm people for absolutely no reason.

 

it also goes against the plain meaning of the MMMA. it plainly states the review panels' job is to review petitions.

 

in addition, the departments own rules define what a petition is, and say that the panel only reviews petitions and not the conditions or treatments themselves.

 

(13) "Petition" means a written request for the department to add new medical
conditions or treatments to the list of debilitating medical conditions under R 333.101(5).

 

so the law, and the departments rules, clarify that they are to approve or deny a petition only, not the underlying treatment or condition.

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I and a couple other people believe my IBS and depression and anxiety is a result of aspergers syndrome.  I have only gone to a psychologist once and he gave me no feedback whatsoever so I decided not to go back.  Besides that the CBD had relieved the anxiety and depression and I started "getting the right signals" and was less confused?  I don't know if I could be of any help without a diagnosis and don't feel the need to further explore my actual problems since I'm doing better than I ever have.  I would do it if it could help in some way though.  I just don't think there is ample time to get a diagnosis and write up my story.

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  • 2 months later...

I'm going to the 23 and me website to order the genetics test.  Not sure how long it'll take but I'm working on it.

 

Over 200 markers at the moment and access to all the new ones they find for $99.  Have to verify but that's what I was told.  I'll get to find if I have the marker or gene or whatever for colon cancer, how much Neanderthal I have in me and a slew of other things.  Can't wait.

Edited by Norby
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Looks like about 8 weeks for results.  Ordering it now.

 

The FDA is still pulling crap.  It's raw genetic data, they have a hold on the health interpretations.  My wife or the dr should be able to figure all that out though.

 

It's in the mail.  4-6 weeks.

Edited by Norby
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a simple letter would always be helpful, something like:

 

i have had anxiety or ______ since ______ .

it affects me like so:

1. cant work

2. cant go outside

3. do all my shopping online

4. havent been to see a movie in 4 years.

5. have only 1 friend that i saw 3 years ago

6. unable to make friends, unable to talk with people

7. cant sleep , which makes me irritable

 

but since i started using cbd i have gotten over my anxiety and am now able to:

1. dance the night away

2.

3.

4.

etc

 

i have tried other treatments:

1. changing diet

2. pharmacuiticals

3. homeopathic treatments

4. exercize , vitamins, colonics

5. therapy

 

some of those treatments helped but were not manageable, some caused side effects

1. made me depressed/suicidal

2. changed my behavior for the worse

3. made me willy turn purple!

4. made condition worse

 

marijuana side effects for me:

1. better behavior/mood

2. increased appetetite

3. better, deeper sleep

4.

 

of course: if marijuana didnt work for me, i would still be looking for another solution.

you can use this template for any condition.

just list how your condition affects you negatively then list how marijuana has helped or alleviated your condition, and what improvements (if any) you have seen since trying it.

 

ta

Edited by t-pain
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  • 1 month later...

http://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273%2813%2900225-0

Highlights

  • Neuroligin-3 performs distinct functions in different types of central synapses
  • Different autism-linked neuroligin-3 mutations similarly change inhibitory synapses
  • Neuroligin-3 is essential for tonic but not phasic endocannabinoid signaling
  • Neuroligin-3 R451C mutation selectively silences a subclass of inhibitory synapses
Summary

Neuroligins are postsynaptic cell-adhesion molecules that interact with presynaptic neurexins. Rare mutations in neuroligins and neurexins predispose to autism, including a neuroligin-3 amino acid substitution (R451C) and a neuroligin-3 deletion. Previous analyses showed that neuroligin-3 R451C-knockin mice exhibit robust synaptic phenotypes but failed to uncover major changes in neuroligin-3 knockout mice, questioning the notion that a common synaptic mechanism mediates autism pathogenesis in patients with these mutations. Here, we used paired recordings in mice carrying these mutations to measure synaptic transmission at GABAergic synapses formed by hippocampal parvalbumin- and cholecystokinin-expressing basket cells onto pyramidal neurons. We demonstrate that in addition to unique gain-of-function effects produced by the neuroligin-3 R451C-knockin but not the neuroligin-3 knockout mutation, both mutations dramatically impaired tonic but not phasic endocannabinoid signaling. Our data thus suggest that neuroligin-3 is specifically required for tonic endocannabinoid signaling, raising the possibility that alterations in endocannabinoid signaling may contribute to autism pathophysiology.

 

Published in Neuron Volume 78 issue 3 p498–509, 8 May 2013

 

http://www.cell.com/neuron/references/S0896-6273%2813%2900225-0

 

The reference page is filled with studies posted in scientific journals as well.

 

Edit to say I missed that, someone had already posted this study, but the references section still has a trove of info.

Edited by slipstar059
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  • 5 weeks later...

An update on the process of suing LARA to compel the hearing of our autism petition.

 

Our case was dismissed for mootness a few weeks ago, because the AG turned in a brief that promised to submit the petition to the MMRP. However, still today, they have not submitted the petition for review, nor scheduled public testimony. They have not even committed a date when this will be done.

 

So last week we submitted a Motion for Reconsideration, asking the Judge to compel the department to schedule testimony immediately. The judge has ordered that the AG's office is to provide an affidavit outlining the process and due dates by next Wednesday, April 22, 2015. I'll update when we get a commitment to hard dates.

 

The Motion to Reconsider is attached.

 

attachicon.gifMotion to Reconsider.pdf

Stay with it. How might it come to the court granting by default?

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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Analysts may be underestimating the potential of GW Pharmaceuticals . Five analysts are covering the company, the most recent initiation coming from Morgan Stanley. The average price target is $86 and the stock currently trades at $71.

Also See: Morgan Stanley Says GWPH Pot Stock Is Legit

GW Pharmaceuticals is known for its flagship drug Sativex, which combines both the THC and the CBD extracts from the cannabis plant for medicinal purposes. Sativex is delivered as a mouth spray and has been approved for use in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany to name a few. It is considered to be the only mainstream pharmaceutical company to pursue cannabis testing and scientific trials. Solvay Pharmaceuticals produces Marinol, a THC only drug, which is approved by the FDA in the U.S. Solvay has done no studies since 2004.

The analysts are mostly excited about the use of GW's drug Epidiolex for pediatric epilepsy, specifically Dravet Syndrome and the patients that suffer from Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. They are fairly small patient populations, roughly 5,000 Dravet patients in the U.S. and 15,000 LGS. However, there is little competition, and the patients' needs are mostly unmet. So GW will own this market.


The bigger potential market for GW Pharmaceuticals could be autism. PiperJaffrey analyst Josh Schimmer has noted that subsets of these diseases share similar features with epilepsy. He writes, "It's possible that some children have subclinical seizure activity that result in developmental disorders, and there are also extremely exciting anecdotes of autism patients who thrive after CBD therapy." According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.5% of the children in the U.S. are diagnosed with ASD as of 2014, a huge patient population.

The Autism Research Institute has also made this connection. The institute found that some of the symptoms marijuana has improved in children with autism include anxiety, aggression, panic disorder, tantrums and self-injurious behavior. Martin Lee, author of Smoke Signals and founder of Project CBD said, "There's substantive body of preclinical research and some anecdotal stories. There's also some research from GW Pharmaceuticals on psychiatric disorders. It's not autism, but there are overlapping issues."

Lee is correct. GW Pharmaceutical has a Phase 2a trial underway for schizophrenia, but nothing for Autism. GW Pharmaceutical spokesman Mark Rogerson said, "I'm afraid we have no current research going on in this area. We are aware of the interest in cannabinoid medicines and autism and our plans may change in the future. But for the time being we have a very full clinical trials programme. We are only a small company in pharmaceuticals terms and regretfully, we have to make choices among therapeutic areas."

Also See: Can Cannabis Treat Schizophrenia? GWPH Thinks So

"The rationale for this novel hypothesis arises from the discovery that the endocannabinoid system is one of the most abundant physiological control systems in animals and humans," wrote the authors of a study from William Paterson University. Adding, "It is tempting to suggest the evaluation of A9-THC or other cannabinoids with reduced psychoactivity in irritability, tantrums and self-injurious behavior associated with autistic individuals. Our data provides a basis for further studies in evaluating the role of the cannabinoid and monoaminergic systems in the etiology of ASDs."

Last year a study out of Stanford University found signs to suggest compounds found in cannabis could help to treat autism. A 2011 study from the Second University of Naples wrote, "Our data indicate CB2 receptor as potential therapeutic target for the pharmacological management of the autism care."

On the anecdotal side, one mother founded The Unconventional Foundation for Autism when she discovered that medical marijuana helped her autistic son. A Brown University teacher Marie Myung-Ok Lee, author of Somebody's Daughter, documented her autistic son's response to using Marinol, a synthetic cannabis. She switched to an edible form of cannabis and then a tea version. She calls her experiment a qualified success. There's even Cannabis for Autism Facebook page with over 12,000 likes.

Established medical groups like the Epilepsy Foundation and the American Cancer Society have urged patients to be, well, patient and wait for studies and clinical trials. But desperately ill people have moved forward without the approval of these groups and have generated a grass roots campaign for various medicinal applications for cannabis. Autism could be the next patient population to revolt against traditional, established medical foundations.

If autistic parents think GW Pharmaceutical is the answer to improving their children's lives, even a low patient pricing of $15,000 could lead to half a billion dollars. If the pricing were on the high side of $250,000 then you're looking at a $9 billion benefit.

For now, the market cap is less than a billion, and the company hasn't received U.S. drug approval. Nor have there been any large studies initiated, mostly small preclinical research and anecdotal evidence.

However, it was this anecdotal work that led to the pursuit of cannabis in treating pediatric epilepsy. If autistic children get relief from this drug, a grassroots effort by parents will drive a push for more studies and potentially a treatment.

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