Maryland woman earns medical marijuana degree after treatment significantly helped her autistic son – CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) – Ian Wright was born with severe autism. His mother, Michelle Wright, said that when he was 25 years old, he used 15 drugs and almost catatonic drugs.

Michelle was so convinced of the medicinal benefits of cannabis that she earned her Master of Science in Medical and Therapeutic Cannabis Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. That is The first show of its kind domestic.

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Michelle calls her son “the old, shaven three-year-old.”

Ian, 29, was born with severe autism and needed 24/7 care. But spend time with Ian and you’ll find him enjoying life, listening to music, walking, and cooking with his mom. But Michelle says this isn’t always the case.

In his twenties, Ian began to rapidly decline. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and antipsychotics, which he took several times a day.

“He is becoming much more self-injurious,” says Michelle. “He will harm himself. he will bang his head until he bleeds. We had to buy helmets. Sit in a corner all day, crying, screaming, banging your head. Can’t communicate with you, can’t touch. ”

In 2014, Maryland legalized medical marijuana. Wishing to help her son, Michelle began researching its benefits, eventually discovering special plants that contained chemicals that helped Ian.

Today, she carefully selects, grinds and heats the plant, then makes it into a pill form that Ian takes four times a day.

“He wouldn’t be here without it,” Michelle said. “I don’t believe he would be here without it. He’s that sick.”

Marijuana and an antipsychotic once a day, that’s all Ian does now.

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His transformation prompted Michelle to sign up for the first master’s program in medical marijuana ever offered, and after two years of intensive study, last spring, she and 129 other students obtained it. their equal.

Dr. Leah Sera runs the master’s program. She believes her students, who come from all over the world and from the health, business and research industries, will be at the forefront of the burgeoning cannabis industry.

“Do I mean that this is cutting edge science here?” WJZ’s Denise Koch asked Dr. Sera.

“Well, we certainly think so,” Dr. Sera said. “We know that our students are the frontrunners. We teach how it works in the body, we teach the benefits. We also teach about the risks and potential side effects. We really try and make this a balanced, scientific education. ”

Risk? Cannabis is a psychostimulant, so it can make people ‘high’.

Benefits: the plant contains thousands of chemical components, (including THC and CBD) and there is evidence humans have used cannabis for centuries.

“Epilepsy is a condition for which we actually have pretty solid evidence for CBD oil,” says Dr. Sera. “And there are other conditions, things like chronic pain, muscle spasms, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.”

Michelle said whatever challenges her son, he is operating at a better level than ever.

“He’s gained back about 20 pounds,” Michelle said. “He talks more. He doesn’t have to wear a helmet all day. He doesn’t have ticks on his face anymore. But he can also communicate with me. He’ll let me hold his hand now.”

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“I am not trying to cure my son of autism,” she said. “I’m trying to be the best of him.”