New Study Will Explore Medical Marijuana as a Treatment for Autism

An extremely important new study has received funding that will finally make the research possible. The Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation has donated $4.7 million to the Center for Medical Cannabis Research (CMCR) at the University of California, San Diego where they will be studying the effects of CBD on severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research will begin in 2019 and feature 30 children with ASD between 8-12 years old. While many parents claim very positive anecdotal evidence with CBD and ASD it's vital to be proven to work inside a closed study to be accepted as proper medication. The goal of the study is to find out if CBD is safe and tolerable, how it alters neurotransmitters, and if CBD alters biomarkers of neuro-inflammation that are associated with ASD. 

The Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation has given $4.7 million, the largest private gift ever for medical marijuana research in the United States, to fund research at the Center for Medical Cannabis Research (CMCR) at the University of California, San Diego, on the use of cannabidiol (CBD) compounds to treat autism. CBD is a chemical ingredient in marijuana that is non-psychoactive. In other words, it doesn’t cause the “high” feel