Mothers Advocating Medical Marijuana for Autism

Mothers Advocating Medical Marijuana for Autism (MAMMA) is a non-profit advocacy group that was founded in 2014 in order to “address the growing epidemic of autism with therapeutic cannabis — a safe, affordable and effective medical option for autism spectrum disorders,” according to the group’s website.

In a video on the group’s website, MAMMA co-founder AmyLou Fawell described the organization as being centered on three main goals — recognition of autism as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana in states where it does not have this designation, to make cannabis “a first line of defense when children have [autism-related] behaviors,” and to increase education about the endocannabinoid system among doctors.

The group encourages families affected by autism to advocate medical marijuana as a treatment for the condition in their home states, to promote greater education about the ECS among doctors, and to work to ensure that dispensaries have the right products for families dealing with autism.

MAMMA provides resources for parents of children with autism to help them become better advocates, in particular when speaking to legislators in states where autism is not an approved condition. These include talking points, links to research, and answers to use when responding to “pushback.”

These include the final note on the pushback section, that reads simply “our kids are severely ill and, given the side effects, traditional medicine has thus far failed us.”