Pubdate: Wed, 17 Jun 2015
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2015 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Jakob Rodgers, The Gazette

CANNABIS-BASED OIL USE OK'D

Memorial Hospital to Let Parents Apply Remedy to Kids

Colorado Springs - Parents of children currently using cannabis-based 
oils to treat seizures can administer the oils at Memorial Hospital 
under a newly approved policy announced Tuesday.

Under the policy, parents must administer the oils themselves and 
sign a release before doing so, according to Dan Weaver, a spokesman 
for University of Colorado Health, which leases Memorial Hospital.

The issue arose after Memorial Hospital took over all pediatric 
operations from Children's Hospital Colorado on June 4 in the wake of 
a wide-ranging state and federal investigation into the two hospital systems.

Children's Hospital often had allowed parents to administer the oils 
in its ward at Memorial Hospital Central, although "patients need to 
be really sick," such as with terminal, chronic or debilitating 
diseases, and doctors could prohibit the oils at any time, a 
Children's Hospital spokeswoman said.

But Memorial Hospital had no such policy - until Tuesday.

Despite giving parents the green light to use the oils on its campus, 
the statement announcing the policy warned that "parents must 
understand that there are risks involved with giving patients CBD oil."

"Memorial Hospital believes additional research is critically 
important to determine the benefits and potential side effects of 
cannabinoid oil," the statement said. "We will continue working with 
Children's Hospital Colorado to monitor any research on the safety 
and efficacy of the oil and will assess our policies accordingly."

Most therapeutic oils are considered hemp because they have no more 
than .3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is the substance 
that gives marjiuana users a high.

Marijuana, by contrast, has more THC.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom