27.03.2022
7 min read

Can medicinal cannabis be used to help children with autism in Australia?

While relieved parents have welcomed the change in their children’s behaviour, some obstacles to the treatment remain.

Medicinal cannabis being trialled to help autistic children

For parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, finding an effective treatment option is difficult.

But cannabis oil could help change this, with a clinical trial in Perth already revealing positive results.

Medicinal cannabis has been shown to relieve pain and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can influence mood, memory, sleep and appetite.

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The treatment option is legal in Australia, but is highly regulated and getting your hands on it can be a challenge.

Its potential to relieve medical conditions is being researched worldwide, but the lack of concrete evidence has some doctors hesitant to prescribe the drug.

Although legal in Australia, medicinal cannabis is highly regulated and many doctors are hesitant to prescribe it. File image. Credit: Olena Ruban/Getty Images

For Melbourne mother Kerri Honey, cannabis oil has dramatically improved her family’s life.

Her eight-year-old daughter Phoenix lives with autism and started using medicinal cannabis around five months ago.

“She takes about 12 tablets a day - she’s on a lot, and for me I don’t see the effect that it should be having,” she said.

Despite taking several different medications, taking care of Phoenix is still “full on”.

“We physically can’t take her out unless we have a support worker,” Mrs Honey said.

“Her meltdowns are really aggressive ... she goes from very calm to very aggressive in a split second.

“Her meds are supposed to stabilise that, but we don’t see that.”

Mrs Honey says her husband was initially hesitant about trying medicinal cannabis, but once they got a prescription they quickly noticed significant results.

“She was fully medicated on the day we went to the clinic and the doctor asked ‘is she medicated?’ because she was bouncing off the walls,” she said.

Medicinal cannabis has helped Melbourne mother Kerri Honey’s daughter Phoenix with behavioural issues. File Image. Credit: Vanessa Nunes/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The medicinal cannabis combined with her medications and a new sleep probiotic helped make Phoenix easier to manage.

“We’ve noticed a change with it all together, she seems a lot calmer,” Mrs Honey said.

“We need to have them all in play for it to have a difference for her.”

The mother-of-five says people need to understand that family situations like hers are not easy.

“I was one of those judgmental mums in the street saying keep control of your kid before Phoenix was diagnosed,” she said.

“Now on the other side, I think there needs to be more education and support if a parent chooses to medicate in general.”

Promising research

A clinical trial in Western Australia is exploring how low dose medicinal cannabis oils can treat autism associated behaviours in young people between six and 18 years old.

The product, Hope 1, is welcome news for parents, who say finding a treatment that doesn’t have other side effects is challenging.

Amour Stanes’ son Austin was diagnosed with autism at the age of eight.

She says they tried every drug available, experiencing severe side effects.

Amour Stanes says medicinal cannabis has helped improve her son Austin’s quality of life. Credit: 7NEWS

Six years later, Austin’s quality of life was showing no signs of improvement.

“He was going to school less, because he just couldn’t handle being at school a whole day due to a myriad of issues, but mainly behavioural,” Ms Stanes told 7NEWS.

That was when she took matters into her own hands, discovering the Hope 1 trial at the start of last year.

“The effect that it’s having for him significantly outweighs the benefit of any medication that he has been on in the past,” she said.

Emerald Clinics medical director Alistair Vickery says that while the results have been overwhelmingly positive in the early stage, the trial is not for everyone.

“Of the patients we’ve recruited, three have dropped out because of side effects,” Dr Vickery said.

“This isn’t a drug that doesn’t have side effects, and it’s not a drug that’s for everyone.”

The side effects of cannabis are still being studied, but may include drowsiness, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, problems with memory and problems with balance.

So, how do you get it?

Since early 2021, the Therapeutic Goods Administration has allowed the sale of lose-dose cannabidiol (CBD) over the counter at pharmacies - but it could be a long wait before you find any at your local chemist.

Currently no CBD products have been approved by the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, meaning the TGA can’t vouch for their safety, quality or efficacy.

This means patients wanting to buy medicinal cannabis products legally will still require a prescription.

Patients wanting to buy medicinal cannabis products legally will still require a doctor prescription. File image. Credit: CasarsaGuru/Getty Images

Medical practitioners in all states can prescribe medicinal cannabis products for patients if they believe it is clinically appropriate and they have the required approvals.

Prescribing for young people may require the support of a medical specialist and special approvals.

While recreational cannabis remains illegal in most countries worldwide, various jurisdictions have legalised its medicinal use.

The UK, Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Poland and Switzerland are among those, while countries such as France and Ireland are currently trialling the treatment option.

A pricy alternative

Affordability and accessibility are a big issue families face when considering medicinal cannabis, Mrs Honey says.

Medicinal cannabis products are not currently subsidised by the federal government through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, meaning the full cost falls on the patient.

The Victorian Government has a “compassionate access scheme” that funds the products for a limited number of children with severe epilepsy, but otherwise patients must front the cost.

A study of medicinal cannabis use in Australia found 21 per cent of respondents were illicitly sourcing their medicine because legal cannabis was too expensive.

Costs vary depending on each person’s condition and the product, but the average spend is around $10-$15 a day.

“It’s very expensive,” Mrs Honey said.

The family blows through around $500 each month for Phoenix’s 30mL bottle with 1500mg of CBD. When the prescription increases to a higher dose of 3000mg, it will double in price.

“It puts a dent in the wallet,” Mrs Honey said.

Doctors hesitant to prescribe

Many healthcare professionals are still hesitant to prescribe medicinal cannabis, but Dr Vickery says that is mainly because of a lack of knowledge.

“It’s the fear of what people understand about recreational cannabis where people are essentially overdosing with THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) to get high ... whereas we’re using very small doses ... and slowly getting up to a dose that is effective,” he said.

Emerald Clinics medical director Alistair Vickery says hesitancy around medicinal cannabis comes back to a lack of knowledge. Credit: 7NEWS

Mrs Honey says she thinks medicinal cannabis should be more accessible for children with autism and other conditions, after her family faced an uphill to get a prescription.

“The first pediatrician we saw blatantly shut me down when I suggested it,” she said.

The doctor told the family there was not enough studies for them to feel comfortable prescribing it.

“At our fourth appointment in, we were still not getting anywhere,” Mrs Honey said.

“Nothing was stabilising, sleep was becoming a bigger issue where she wasn’t doing it and we couldn’t physical function during the day without her sleeping.”

It was then they found relief in a clinic that provided them with a prescription at the first appointment.

“There’s a huge call for it, so many kids these days are being diagnosed and the answer is to shove a pill down their throat,” Mrs Honey said.

“What do the tablets do to their bodies in the long term?

“I hope the government can decide to give this a bigger try ... it could help so many other people.”

More research needed

Researchers say there is a need to expand the evidence base supporting medicinal cannabis to help change public perceptions and make it more accessible.

CBD oil is considered a promising candidate for supporting children with ASD, due to it being prescribed to help reduce seizures in childhood epilepsy.

The drug may reduce severe behavioural problems in children and adults with an intellectual disability, according to a recent study by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

The pilot study, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, involved eight participants, aged 8-16 years, who took either CBD or placebo over eight weeks. Most of the participants also had autism.

It found a clinically significant change in the children’s irritability, aggression, self-injury, and yelling.

The early findings are not enough to make definitive statements, but “strongly support” a larger follow-up trial, which has since been funded.

More research is needed to expand the evidence base supporting medicinal cannabis. Credit: Visoot Uthairam/Getty Images

A study from Israel observing 53 children with ASD taking CBD oil recorded improvements across several areas including sleep disturbances, hyperactivity, self-injury and anxiety.

Another study out of Turkey concluded using lower doses of CBD and THC seemed promising in managing behavioural problems associated with autism and could be effective in managing the core symptoms.

However, the TGA says there have been “very few” well-designed clinical trials using medicinal cannabis, so there is limited evidence available on its success in treating conditions and on effective forms and dosages.

The authority cautioned patients about the “very limited evidence” about how medicinal cannabis reacts with other approved medications.

“There is a significant need for larger, high-quality studies to explore the potential benefits, limitations and safety issues associated with medicinal cannabis treatment across a range of health conditions and symptoms,” it says.

“If more studies support medicinal cannabis use and provide evidence for particular forms, dosages and administration methods, it is more likely that doctors will feel confident in prescribing medicinal cannabis over other approved options.”

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