Medical Weed's Been Great for My 9-Year-Old

Almost as soon as Marie Myung-Ok Lee began giving daily doses of marijuana to her 9-year-old son J, she noticed a big change: He returned from school with his whole shirt on. J is autistic, has an inflammatory bowel condition, and has had two serious spinal cord surgeries. Before pot, he was in near constant pain, and he used to eat things that weren’t food—like his shirt. Every day.

Now, thanks to pot, his behavioral problems have quieted. He no longer throws dishes, and at school he’s stopped attacking other children, something he used to do 30-50 times a day. But cannabis is no "miracle cure"—J's autism has actually grown more distinct, and his vocalizations, like screams and barks, remain—but it’s allowed him to experience outside life. “The J we know now doesn’t look stoned,” writes Lee, “He just looks like a happy little boy.” (More medical marijuana stories.)