Autistic Arizona 5-year-old to get medical marijuana to ease severe seizures

by Lee Moran, New York Daily News

Zander Welton’s episodes are so severe that they leave him blue and unable to breathe. His parents, Jennifer and Jacob Welton, of Mesa, said they’d do anything to help alleviate his suffering.

An autistic 5-year-old boy from Arizona is set to become one of the youngest patients in the country to be granted a medical marijuana card.

Zander Welton’s parents will be able to buy him pot as of this week in the hope that it stops the crippling seizures that turn him blue and stop his breathing.

Battling a genetic brain defect, the youngster has already undergone two major related surgeries.

Jennifer and Jacob Welton, of Mesa, said the devastating illness left their son trapped in his own body and that they were willing to try anything that may ease their child’s suffering.

“I wouldn’t even be thinking about this if it wouldn’t do something beneficial,” Jennifer told ABC affiliate KNXV-TV. “I don’t want him stoned; I want him better.”

The desperate couple, who have been certified as caregivers so that they can buy the drug, plan to use drops that minimize marijuana’s high.

The treatment is not cheap: The Weltons must fund the experiment themselves at a cost of $1,200 a month. But it helps that the boy’s current $5,000-a-month pharmaceutical bill is picked up by the state.