Pubdate: Sun, 04 May 2014
Source: Sentinel, The (Carlisle, PA)
Copyright: 2014 The Sentinel, a division of Lee Enterprise
Contact:  http://www.cumberlink.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4268
Author: Samantha Madison
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

LEGISLATORS SPLIT ON WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE IN MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL

CARLISLE - Sen. Mike Folmer watched his mother struggle with her 
appetite during her treatment for cancer.

Then, he went through it himself when he was diagnosed with 
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and underwent chemotherapy treatment, watching 
how other people responded and talking with nurses about the options.

"(I) battled non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and (went) through 
chemotherapy," said Folmer, R-48. "And then I watched my own mother 
shrink before me because she had no appetite (while) on hospice and 
literally starved to death before me. This prohibition of (marijuana) 
out of fear of abuse is just wrong."

His experiences - as well as his research into the possibility that 
medical cannabis could help ease people's suffering - have made him 
think about how he feels about the drug. He said while deciding to 
co-sponsor Sen. Daylin Leach's bill is a not something that people 
expect from a republican, he doesn't believe people should have to 
move to receive medical treatment.

"I don't view it as a conservative or liberal issue, I view it as a 
health issue," he said. "I view it as a right of the patient to have 
every weapon in their arsenal to fight their diseases as their 
medical professionals decide what is best for them. I believe it's 
just wrong that we're going to allow something like a zip code to 
separate people from the medicines that they would like to have that 
would best fit them."

Corbett's proposal

In response to recent proposals, as well as visits from families 
struggling with treatments for severe seizure disorders, Gov. Tom 
Corbett on Thursday released a statement in favor of more research 
into and discussion about cannabidiol (CBD).

Corbett's statement called for more dialogue with the U.S. Drug 
Enforcement Administration and Food and Drug Administration regarding 
a pilot program he hopes to start that would allow families to get 
the drug within the state.

"I have been looking at this issue extensively over the past few 
months and listening to many perspectives," the statement said. "I 
have heard the concerns and heartbreaking stories of these families 
and want to help. However, we must address this issue in a way that 
helps these families, but also protects the public health and safety 
of all Pennsylvanians."

Deb Knecht's 11-year-old daughter, Anna, is one of the people that 
legalizing medical cannabis could help. Anna has Dravet syndrome, 
which causes her to have a large number of seizures, sometimes making 
her turn blue as she struggles for oxygen. The Knecht family visited 
with Corbett in December, sharing with him what Dravet is and how the 
CBD could help Anna get better.

The governor met with a handful of families on Thursday, including 
the Knecht family. Knecht said the meeting shed some light on what 
Corbett is looking to do, which would allow Anna and her mother to 
stay in the state, instead of splitting up their family and moving to Colorado.

"As soon as it would become available, we would definitely want Anna 
to start treatment," Knecht said. "I'm excited about the possibility 
of not having to separate our family and not having to move to 
Colorado for treatment. We're grateful for the opportunity because 
Anna has this life-threatening disorder and we were dreading 
separating our family to get her the treatment that she needs."

Corbett's proposal is not a CBD-specific law, but allows for a little 
bit of variation to give each patient with these severe forms of 
epilepsy and other disorders that cause severe seizures, to get a 
treatment that is appropriate for them, Knecht said.

She said that during her meeting with the governor, she learned that 
the program would also be linked to data collection on how each 
patient is doing on the CBD treatment. The law would make the oil 
available at three children's hospitals throughout the state, 
including Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

"It sounded like what he wants to set up is a system that would allow 
physicians at these three medical centers to prescribe this oil to 
people with epilepsy with the physician controlling how much CBD and 
how much THC each individual patient would need," Knecht said. "(The 
physician would then collect) data on outcomes so that information 
could be analyzed and shared with physicians to assist them in making 
prudent decisions on how to prescribe this and use it for treatment."

Knecht said she sees the discussion as a move in the right direction 
to help people. Though she said she still supports legalization for 
treatment of other diseases and conditions, which is outlined in 
Senate Bill 1182.

"We were all advocating for Senate Bill 1182 and hoping that people 
with diabetes and cancer and other diagnoses would be able to benefit 
from medical cannabis," she said. "But this is the step that Gov. 
Corbett is willing to take at this point, and it might be what 
Pennsylvania is ready for. It's a good first step, and we hope that 
this will prove to be effective for these kids with epilepsy and that 
it may open the door for a program for people with other diagnoses."

Senate Bill 1182

The bill, called the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act, not 
only establishes a law that allows people to get a prescription for 
marijuana for certain medical purposes, but it also outlines the 
enforcement, a regulatory board, centers for use and farming regulations.

The first establishment the bill develops is the Pennsylvania Medical 
Cannabis Board, which is an independent administrative board. It 
would also create a Bureau of Medical Cannabis Control Enforcement 
within in the state police. That bureau would be responsible for 
enforcing the act and all of the regulations created under it.

The advisory council will be in charge of oversight for the 
Pennsylvania Medical Cannabis Board and will review written 
certifications. There will also be a Bureau of Consumer Relations, 
which will be responsible for handling all complaints and suggestions 
from consumers.

Patients would need a valid prescription, as well as a medical 
cannabis identification card, which would prove the person's 
eligibility to use the drug. The medical cannabis would be approved 
for the treatment of cancer, glaucoma, post-traumatic stress 
disorder, HIV/AIDS, cachexia, severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, 
seizures, severe and persistent muscle spasms (including those caused 
by multiple sclerosis or Crohn's), and any other medical condition 
that is recognized by medical authorities as being treatable by cannabis.

According to the bill, medical cannabis could only be purchased from 
a compassionate care center, which would be regulated by the board. 
The center is expected to maintain records of all cannabis it 
processes and distributes for medical treatment. Those documents 
would be made available to the board each month, detailing everything 
that was sold and received there. The center must be similar in 
function and appearance to a doctor's office. They must comply with 
the board's requirements and not have any cannabis products available 
from the exterior or the entryway. The legislation also creates the 
commercial medical cannabis farm, which would need a license. In 
order to be able to grow and cultivate cannabis for medical purposes, 
the farmer will be required to have a contact with a compassionate 
care center. The farm will also be required to make the records 
available to the board each month.

With regard to safety concerns, the bill establishes that a patient 
may not drive while under the influence of tetrahydrocannabinol. A 
person may not smoke cannabis in public locations, including on 
public transportation, on school grounds, in a correctional facility, 
at a public park or beach, at a recreation center or any place 
cigarette smoking is prohibited.

Legislative responses

The bill has not yet moved to the floor of the state House or Senate, 
but it is already attracting attention from state legislators.

While Folmer is very interested in getting this bill passed, Sen. Pat 
Vance, R-31, is more conservative with her enthusiasm. She said she 
initially thought it would be difficult to pass given Corbett's 
previous statement about vetoing a marijuana bill - something he 
recently changed - but she also noted there is not enough research 
out there to prove medical marijuana's usefulness.

Vance said the legislation is far too general and would allow for a 
wide number of people to get a prescription for marijuana for medical 
purpose, and she won't support something like that.

"I have huge empathy for the parents that come in here with kids that 
are having seizures, but there is no scientific data that says this 
would work," Vance said. "I fervently wish the FDA would do testing 
on it. Until we have some really good information proven by tests, 
I'm not sure that it's a good idea."

Rep. Stephen Bloom, R-199, said he isn't completely against medical 
marijuana legislation, but he wants something that is narrow and 
makes it difficult to abuse the law and the drug. Bloom said if the 
bill were narrow enough, he would vote for it to pass.

He said there is a distinct possibility that a bill that uses 
derivatives of marijuana instead of the whole leaf, could pass 
through the state legislature. But he said he feels that it needs to 
be treated as any other drug on the market now.

"I don't think you would see passage of a bill that simply allowed 
for a broad range of 'medical marijuana,'" Bloom said. "The key is 
going to be that it not be in a form that would be subject to abuse. 
We've already seen stories in some of the states that have legalized 
marijuana. It needs to be through the proper channels, in a form that 
is not susceptible to abuse and under the supervision of the medical 
and pharmaceutical system that we already have set up for controlled 
substances."

Vance said she feels that marijuana is too damaging to developing 
brains and she is concerned that current studies don't show that the 
drug will successfully assist people in living a better life. She 
said she thinks the current legislation is too loosely written and 
would allow people to smoke it and not just take it as an oil.

Folmer said he understands people's concerns about the studies, but 
he isn't convinced that it's worth holding out on a medication that 
could help someone live a fuller, pain-free life. He said it may not 
help everyone, but people shouldn't be afraid of medical cannabis legislation.

"The only thing we have to fear by not passing Senate Bill 1182 is 
that it just might not help everyone," he said. "I believe that by 
passing Senate Bill 1182, we in Pennsylvania could become the leaders 
in the research and so that (doctors) won't be frustrated anymore. (I 
want to) get 1182 done so we can get the myths out of the way, get to 
the facts and get out of the way of sick people fighting their 
diseases. That's all I'm trying to do."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom