Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) see a “significant” improvement in symptoms and less reliance on other medications after treatment with Tikun Olam‘s Avidekel™ medical cannabis, as confirmed by a new study published in Scientific Reports.

The two-year study, “Real Life Experience Of Medical Cannabis Treatment In Autism: Analysis Of Safety And Efficacy,” followed 188 children (average age: 13) diagnosed with ASD. The patients were treated with Tikun Olam’s high-CBD, low-THC medical cannabis strains, which have been specifically cultivated and shown to provide symptom relief for ASD and related conditions with minimal psychoactive effect.

At the study’s outset, the most common patient symptoms were restlessness (90.4%), rage attacks (79.8%), and agitation (78.7%). After six months of daily cannabis treatment at Tikun Olam clinics in Israel, 80.1% of patients reported improvement of their symptoms, with 30.1% reporting “significant” improvement. Other key findings include:

Of 27 patients who had epilepsy, 24 reported improved or disappearance of symptoms;

34% of patients decreased other medications; and

20% of patients stopped using antipsychotic medication.

“Autism is a leading condition of concern worldwide, so this study couldn’t have come at a better time,” says Dr. Annabelle Manalo, PhD, Tikun Olam’s Science Director. “The data shows that autism patients can improve their overall quality of life utilizing a high CBD strain, and most importantly, that young users can safely and effectively benefit from medical cannabis.”

“With this study, cannabis is shown to be an effective choice for parents looking for the safest and most neuroprotective treatment.”

Side effects to cannabis treatment were minimal, with the most common at six months reported as restlessness (6.6%), sleepiness (3.2%), psychoactive effect (3.2%).