Medical Cannabis School Ban In Minnesota Leaves Autistic Girl Without Access To Full Education

In Elk River, Minnesota, the parents of a young girl with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and epilepsy are appealing to her school to allow her to use medical cannabis throughout the school day, reported CBS News.

Due to the current rules, nine-year-old Krystal Mattis is not allowed to use her mid-day dose of cannabis tincture while on school grounds, stripping her of a chance to receive a full-time education.

Her mother, Sabrina Mattis called the ban unfair and unjust.

"She just deserves to be at school a full day and have her medicine like any other kid," her mother said.

The parents said that they were given permission by the school district to take their child out of school, give her the cannabis tincture and then bring her back to school.

However, citing their child's welfare, the parents returned to half-days instead.

Tim Mattis, the girl's father, explained why the solution from district officials wouldn't work for them.

"To take her back, that just throws her out of her routine," he said. "The chances of her not understanding the whole situation and having discomfort more likely to not have a good rest of the day, as opposed to us just going there administering her dose and leaving and it's barely an interruption."

Sabrina Mattis also contacted DFL Rep. Zack Stephenson, the lawmaker behind the marijuana legalization bill that Governor Tim Walz signed into law this past May, and sought help.

He said that even though the state statute explicitly prohibits the use, possession, or transportation of cannabis on school grounds, there's an exception to the rule that allows the use of medical cannabis as long as it is not smoked or vaporized.

Recent Scientific Breakthroughs In Treating Autism With Cannabis

Recently, Cannformatics, an early-stage biotechnology company, has unveiled a groundbreaking advancement in the field of medical cannabis treatment for ASD.

Their recent publication in Nature's Scientific Reports highlights using Cannabis-Responsive (C-Res) biomarkers and machine learning to pioneer personalized therapies for ASD and various neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and PTSD.

The company reported preliminary results indicating the ability of machine learning to identify cannabinoid mechanisms and phytochemical entourage effects, streamlining the development of effective therapies.

If you are interested in learning about the many benefits of medical cannabis, join us at the upcoming Benzinga event.

The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, the place where deals get done, is returning to Chicago this Sept 27-28 for its 17th edition. Get your tickets today before prices increase and secure a spot at the epicenter of cannabis investment and branding.

Photo: Beniznga edit of images by Paul Einerhand and Annie Spratt on Unsplash