Pubdate: Wed, 28 Jan 2015
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2015 The Dallas Morning News, Inc.
Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/send-a-letter/
Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117

BENEFITS OF CANNABIS

Bills Would Free Use of Extract to Control Seizures

Bills filed last week by two Republican state lawmakers might open a 
door for Texans desperate for a therapy to control severe epilepsy. 
The proposal would legalize use of a cannabis extract for treatment 
of debilitating seizures, under a doctor's supervision.

The two bill authors, Sen. Kevin Eltife of Tyler and Rep. Stephanie 
Klick of Fort Worth, deserve credit for sticking their necks out with 
their proposal, an idea more commonly associated with Democrats. They 
might leave themselves vulnerable to charges of going soft on use of 
the marijuana plant, but that accusation would miss the point.

The lawmakers are focused on helping sufferers of "intractable 
epilepsy"  - most of them children - who are subject to uncontrolled, 
life-threatening seizures, sometimes hundreds a day. Modern medicine 
has not come up with effective treatments for many of them. If the 
lowly cannabis weed can help restore their health, the state of Texas 
should get beyond the stigma and get out of the way.

The Eltife-Klick bills would permit extraction of oil from the 
cannabis plant by a licensed producer and limit the content of the 
chemical compound that's associated with marijuana euphoria. The 
proposal would restrict authority to prescribe cannabis oil to 
doctors who specialize in epilepsy or neurology. To be eligible, a 
patient must have tried other therapies without success.

Eltife and Klick, who's a registered nurse, say they have backing 
from "almost every epileptologist in the state."  A group of 
physicians who specialize in epilepsy issued a statement citing 
evidence that cannabis oil can help control seizures. That therapy 
should at least be an alternative, they said, "for those who have run 
out of options right now."

Ironically, one group working to reform Texas pot laws expressed 
reservations. Because of tight regulation of chemicals taken from the 
cannabis plant, the bills would discourage production in Texas, 
according to Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition. Instead, RAMP 
advocates laws in Texas that would make the whole plant available to 
treat a range of conditions and diseases.

This newspaper has supported availability of medical marijuana for 
nearly 10 years. Dating to 1996, more than 20 states have approved 
access to either the plant or its byproducts for medical reasons. 
Research has documented potential benefits to treat pain and such 
diseases as Alzheimer's, Crohn's and multiple sclerosis.

The Eltife-Klick bills represent a decidedly go-slow approach to 
allowing access to the plant for health reasons. That may be the only 
way to get it on the table in Austin for serious discussion. We hope 
that leads to wider debate over the benefits of the cannabis plant 
and whether individual Texans should be free to pursue them by 
planting a few seeds in the garden.

In any event, making headway on this issue means confronting the 
federal government's classification of the marijuana plant as, 
essentially, a dangerous drug with no therapeutic value. Texans are 
capable of making up their own minds on that. It's clear that we 
don't always get the truth from Washington.

[sidebar]

CANNABIS THERAPY BILLS

SB 339 by Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, and HB 892 by Rep. Stephanie 
Klick, R-Fort Worth, would allow licensed extraction of oil from the 
cannabis plant for treatment, under a doctor's care, for severe epilepsy.

Estimate on number of "intractable epilepsy"  sufferers in Texas: 149,000

"Not everyone with epilepsy should or would consider CBD as a 
treatment option, and further research will be needed to better 
understand the impact marijuana has on seizures. But CBD may be an 
alternative for those who have run out of options right now."

Excerpt from statement of support for cannabidiol (CBD) therapy from 
seven physicians from across Texas who specialize in epilepsy or 
pediatric neurology
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom