Pubdate: Tue, 31 Dec 2013
Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Section: page 1A
Copyright: 2013 Sun-Sentinel Company
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/mVLAxQfA
Website: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159
Author: Susannah Bryan

'GLIMMER OF HOPE' FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Will lawmakers pave the way for pot that won't get you high but might
stop seizures?

A fledgling move is afoot to legalize a lighter strain of medical
marijuana in the Sunshine State.

Two Florida representatives, Katie Edwards, D-Plantation and Mark
Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, are taking steps to help families in
Florida gain access to a strain of marijuana that's shown promise in
treating children who suffer from seizures. The strain, known as
Charlotte's Web and available only in Colorado, is high in cannabidiol
(CBD), which experts say can reduce and even eliminate seizures.
Charlotte's Web has a low THC content, the component that gives users
a high.

Although 21 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical
marijuana, the federal government still lists cannabis as a highly
addictive and dangerous "Schedule 1" drug, along with heroin and LSD.

A looming Florida Supreme Court decision might let voters decide in
November whether the state should legalize cannabis to treat disease.

Legalizing medical marijuana in Florida is a long shot, critics of the
proposed ballot measure say.

"As of right now, we don't even know if it's going to go before the
voters," Edwards said.

The state Supreme Court has until April 1 to make a decision on
whether the amendment will appear on the ballot. And even then, the
group pushing the measure, People United for Medical Marijuana, has to
gather nearly 700,000 petition signatures by Feb. 1.

"Even if the court upholds the [ballot] language and they get the
required number of signatures and it passes, the Legislature still has
to get involved to implement the will of the voters," Edwards said.
"The bottom line is, the Legislature has to get involved at some point."

Gaetz says he will lead a workshop discussion Jan. 9 on whether
Florida should decriminalize certain strains of marijuana that have no
euphoric effect but have been shown to halt seizures.

"We need to get feedback from law enforcement, prosecutors, parents
and doctors," said Gaetz, chairman of the House Criminal Justice
Subcommittee. "I'm willing to entertain the discussion and we'll see
where it goes from there."

Edwards says lawmakers at the very least should learn more about how
Charlotte's Web could help children in Florida, as it has in Colorado.

"It's a glimmer of hope for these families," Edwards said. "They look
at something like Charlotte's Web and wonder why we can't do that in
Florida. The bottom line is that we need to allow researchers to have
access to cannabis so that they may study the strains of CBD and
develop safe and effective medications in a pill, topical or oil form."

Charlotte's Web is not smoked but turned into a liquid extract and
swallowed or administered through a feeding tube.

Edwards is galvanized by cases like that of Rebecca Hyman, who was
born with a severe genetic disorder and had her first seizure at age
3.

The Weston girl, now 8, was at one point enduring up to 200 seizures a
day, some lasting seven minutes or more, says her father, Seth Hyman.
She requires round-the-clock care.

"Many of her seizures are silent," Hyman said. "Someone has to have
their eyes on her 24 hours a day."

Traditional medicines either didn't work or made things worse, her
parents say.

While the Hymans wait for lawmakers to legalize Charlotte's Web in
Florida, other families are leaving the state.

One South Florida couple moved to Colorado six weeks ago so their son
and daughter, ages 14 and 13, could start taking Charlotte's Web in an
attempt to stop their seizures.

It seems to be working, says Cristi Bundukamara, mom to Reggie and
Miah, who both suffer from DRPLA, a progressive and often terminal
brain disorder.

Since starting on a low dosage of Charlotte's Web in November,
Reggie's seizures have gone from 40 to 20 a month, Bundukamara says.
His sister's have stopped altogether.

More research is needed on cannabidiol and its role in treating
patients with epilepsy, said Dr. Ian Miller, a pediatric neurologist
at Miami Children's Hospital who treats RebeccaHyman.

Doctors at Miami Children's Hospital are working with a manufacturer
of pharmaceutically pure CBD and hope to start clinical trials in
early 2014, Miller said.

"What we do know is that some parents have tried it and have reported
very dramatic reductions in seizure frequency and severity," Miller
said. "That falls short of scientific proof, but it's enough to help
us prioritize CBD as an important possible treatment, and to give it
priority so that we can evaluate its effectiveness." 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D