Autism Treatment Being Researched and Rewritten

Emerging clinical evidence supports the need to reschedule cannabis so researchers can more fully investigate its medical potential. In a 2026 Phase II/III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, researchers studied NTI164, a standardized full-spectrum medicinal cannabis extract with less than 0.3% THC, in children and adolescents with Level II or III autism spectrum disorder. After eight weeks, the treatment group demonstrated statistically significant improvements compared with placebo in clinician-rated overall illness severity, adaptive functioning—including communication, daily living skills, and socialization—specific areas of social responsiveness, anxiety and mood-related symptoms, compulsive behavior, and caregiver-reported family experience and quality of life. The study did not find a meaningful overall improvement in sleep, illustrating that the findings were not universally positive and should be interpreted with appropriate scientific caution. Of the 61 participants enrolled, 54 completed the blinded phase. The investigators reported no serious adverse events; adverse events were mild, temporary, and self-resolving, with gastrointestinal and neurologic symptoms most commonly reported. However, this was a small, single-site study with an 8-week blinded period. Its results warrant larger, multi-site confirmatory trials rather than sweeping conclusions. This is precisely why cannabis rescheduling matters. A substance with plausible therapeutic value should be evaluated through rigorous, accessible research—not obstructed by a legal classification that creates unnecessary barriers to clinical studies, standardization, and evidence-based medical decision-making. Rescheduling cannabis would help enable the high-quality research necessary to determine which formulations, doses, patient populations, benefits, and risks are most relevant. Sign the petition to support science, patient access, and evidence-based cannabis policy: c.org/zcH6PKtrxT. Suggested call to action Reschedule cannabis. Expand research. Give patients and clinicians the evidence they deserve. APA 7 citation Keating, B. A., Ogru, Y., Isikgel, E., Sharma, K., El-Sukkari, D., & Fahey, M. C. (2026). NTI164, a novel medicinal cannabis extract, improves core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder: Results from a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial (The Harmony study). Neurotherapeutics, 23, e01033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurot.2026.e01033