
DENVER – Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper rejected a medical marijuana expansion bill Tuesday.
House Bill 1263 would have added autism spectrum disorders to the list of medical conditions that authorize a person to use medical marijuana for his or her condition.
The bill had support from several parents, some of whom rallied at the capitol Tuesday.
Michelle Walker, a parent of an autistic child, said she had seen positive results from treatment for her son.
“He’s now seizure free, and that’s very exciting, but it has also been life changing for his autism as well,” Walker said.
But several medical groups, including the Colorado Psychiatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics, opposed the bill, citing a lack of research into medical marijuana’s effectiveness in treating autism.
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