SAN ANTONIO – Jonathan Nguyen, 19, loves adventure parks, trampolines, technology and his family.
He can pick up a musical melody in seconds, and math equations are simple in his mind.
Those are the strengths that come with the severe autism that Jonathan was diagnosed with at 28 months old.
While Jonathan’s technically an adult, he’s emotionally around 7 years old.
The diagnosis was always a challenge for Jonathan’s family, but his mother, Dr. Mary Nguyen, said things got far worse as he entered his teen years.
“When puberty hit, our world turned upside down to the point where we thought about committing him. He became violent. He’s 6′5”. Some of the medicines actually made him more agitated and more violent,“ Mary said, in part. ”I never thought I would have to use self-defense against my own child. We were talking to his psychiatrist every day."
He had two seizures out of the blue, which is when Mary decided to let her son try cannabis products.
Jonathan began with a full-spectrum oil that contained both CBD and THC.
“Which was a game changer for us. It turned it totally around. He was able to stay calm,” Mary said.
Then, they joined the state’s medical marijuana program called “Compassionate Use Program.” That added one other oil that they combine with the first oil twice a day.
“So that’s helpful, but it’s a combination that really helps him,” Mary said.
That’s why she’s concerned, because if Governor Greg Abbott doesn’t veto Senate Bill 3 by Sunday, Jonathan will no longer have access to the original THC oil that he consumes daily.
Senate Bill 3 would ban all ingestible hemp products with THC.
The ban would not include full CBD products and would not disrupt the Compassionate Use Program.
Lt. Governot Dan Patrick has said THC is poisoning children and adults by way of a legal loophole in hemp law that allows it to be sold at places like smoke shops.
While it cleared the legislature, people from both parties, business owners and now parents are fighting against it.
If Abbott doesn’t veto the bill, it will automatically go into law and take effect on Sept. 1, closing down the $8 billion industry.
“Even the DEA states that there have been no recorded deaths from marijuana overdose,” Mary said.
Mary felt so strongly about the power of THC as medicine that she went and got her master’s degree in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics.
She prescribes it to her own autistic patients in South Texas who can’t afford the medical marijuana program.
“Most parents are not able to afford the medical legal cannabis. You can’t pay for it with a credit card. It has to be all paid for in cash, and most parents don’t have the resources,” Mary said. “It’s not covered by insurance, so they have to go to what’s going to be banned, which is the full spectrum hemp products.”
Mary said it’s not just beneficial for the patients and their families, but for society.
“No parent wants to put their child in a home or facility. If we in any way can help families take care of their loved ones and keep them home, that also decreases the burden on society,” Mary said.
Since Jonathan has been taking his THC oils twice a day, he is able to go to Morgan’s Wonderland, the trampoline park, zip lining, family events and even casual dinners.
“This medicine is helping the kids enjoy the things that other people enjoy and take for granted,” Mary said.
When asked what she would want to say to Abbott, Mary said, “Please don’t take away a medication that can help our families become whole again.”
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