US judge allows mother to give cannabis to son, 8

A US judge has allowed the mother of a hyperactive child to carry on giving him cannabis.

The judge dismissed a petition by social services to remove the child from his mother's home in Rocklin, California.

The eight-year-old has a severe mental disorder. His mother gives him cannabis because she says conventional medicine doesn't work.

"I can't believe it's finally over," the woman said after an appearance before Judge Colleen Nichols in Placer Superior Court.

Child Protective Services had accused her of being an unfit mother after learning of the treatment.

The mother turned to cannabis after surfing the internet. A pediatrician suggested she give it a try, reports The Sacramento Bee.

Doctors diagnosed the boy as suffering from multiple mental and behavioural disorders, resulting in extreme mood swings, biting and hitting other children.

Initially, the mother prepared the boy's "medicine" in the form of muffins, which she fed him regularly.

She says her son's behaviour improved markedly, his mood swings levelled off and he developed friendships with other children.