Cannabis as a treatment for autism

The Israeli filmmaker Zach Klein is following up his Raphael Mechoulam biopic The Scientist with a documentary about cannabis as a treatment for autism. I received this note from Klein, along with an image from his new project:

I’m editing my documentary about autism (and cannabis) and I think that Mechoulam is looking at O’Shaughnessy’s. Picture is attached. Did you publish something about the subject?

The page from O’Shaughnessy’s  that Mechoulam was looking was from our Summer 2009 issue. It contained two brief case reports by Philip Denney, MD.  A colleague of Mechoulam’s had evidently put the page in an envelope and mailed it to him, and he had filed it. Which goes to show that the real scientist takes seriously material that elitists dismiss as “mere anecdotal evidence.” Raphael Mechoulam’s instincts are democratic.

I sent Klein the relevant pdf from our Summer ’09 issue and cced Mechoulam, whose gracious reply included this comment:

“As regards autism. We also have excellent results —with pure CBD. High doses (300 mg/day) seem to be needed.”

And that’s your scoop du jour.