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UK Medical Cannabis Registry: A Clinical Outcomes Analysis for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Arushika Aggarwal1, Simon Erridge1,2, Madhur Varadpande1
1Medical Cannabis Research Group, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Neuropsychopharmacology Reports
|July 2, 2026
Summary
Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) showed improvements in anxiety, sleep, and quality of life for autistic adults over 18 months. Further research is needed to confirm these findings.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents significant challenges in behavior and psychological well-being.
- Existing treatments for ASD often have limitations, necessitating exploration of novel therapeutic avenues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety, and sleep quality in autistic adults.
- To assess the safety and tolerability of CBMPs in this population over an 18-month period.
Main Methods:
- An observational case series was conducted using data from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry.
- Autistic adults prescribed CBMPs had their demographic and clinical data collected at baseline.
- Patient-reported outcome measures, including anxiety (GAD-7), sleep quality (SQS), and HRQoL (EQ-5D-5L), were assessed up to 18 months.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements were observed in anxiety (GAD-7, p<0.001) and sleep quality (SQS, p<0.001) scores from baseline to 18 months.
- Health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) index values improved significantly (p<0.001), as did patient-reported global impression of change (PGIC, p=0.013).
- Adverse events were reported by 19.23% of participants, with most being mild or moderate.
Conclusions:
- Treatment with CBMPs was associated with positive changes in HRQoL, anxiety, and sleep outcomes among autistic individuals over 18 months.
- The study highlights potential benefits of CBMPs for managing certain aspects of ASD.
- Further rigorous randomized controlled trials are essential to establish definitive efficacy and safety due to the observational nature of this study.
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