Gov. Rick Scott signed Senate Bill 1030, which approves the CBD medication, nicknamed Charlotte’s Web, and SB 1700, which protects the identities of the patients who use it.

Last year, Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill that legalizes the use of a noneuphoric, high CBD strain of marijuana to treat conditions such as epilepsy, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and cancer. He signed Senate Bill 1030, which approves the high CBD medication, nicknamed Charlotte’s Web, and SB 1700, which protects the identities of the patients who use it. This was seen as a huge victory and step forward for the state of Florida. However, there has yet to be a single patient helped by the legislation so far.

This has been yet another example of a state where they have allowed the use of CBD, but have created no means by which patients can legally acquire it.

In Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal and Rep. Allen Peake were hit with the frustration of citizens last week concerning House Bill 1, the medical marijuana bill. Deal, instead of allowing marijuana production in the state, has decided to form a commission that would be charged with figuring out the best way to manufacture and distribute medicinal marijuana.

That kicks the can of production down the road for a year. […]

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican who said he opposes medical marijuana, being sworn in has Illinois families thinking hard about their next move.

2014 was a landmark year for the acceptance of cannabidiol and medical marijuana across the US. In Kentucky, legislature unanimously passed a law last spring ushering in cannabidiol oil with legislators cheering on with excited families. This same scene has been replicated in city after city as families with their ailing children optimistically embraced each other and the elected officials that carried their cause.

When the celebrations finally end, however, a troubling trend has emerged and parents are getting anxious and frustrated with the outcome of this newly passed legislation. In Kentucky, it’s been nearly a year, and not a drop of the oil has been produced in the state. There are currently no manufacturers for the oil in the state, and it’s illegal to transport it across state lines.

Sen. Perry Clark, a Louisville Democrat and long-time advocate for the oil, said he’s been contacted by numerous constituents who can’t find the treatment they need, and whose children are still suffering while they wait.

“I’ve had several of them come to me and say ‘Where is it? Where is it?’” said Clark. “People are leaving to go to where this efficacious medicine is available to them.”

[…]

Valerie and Preston Weaver with Preston’s doctor Dr. Yong Park (Georgia Regents University)

As initial misplaced fears and apprehension of cannabidiol subside, clinical trials have been launching not only throughout the US but also in countries throughout the world. In Georgia, 7 year old Preston Weaver was chosen as one of the first children in the US to undergo trials of the drug Epidiolex, whose main component is cannabidiol.

Preston suffers from a more severe form of epilepsy known as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which has rendered him nearly paralyzed. Preston is unable to walk, talk, or see, and has up to 100 seizures a day, most of which take place in the brain and are not physically apparent to observers.

Although Epidiolex has yet to be approved by the FDA, it is hoped that if clinical trials involving Preston and up to 50 other children show promise, there may be hope for others with debilitating conditions.

Throughout Georgia, local lawmakers support the concept of medical marijuana and the start of clinical trials at Georgia Regents University — tests that potentially could lead to the passage of a bill that would legalize medicinal cannabis in the state.

“In substance, I’m very supportive of these goals,” said state Rep. Eddie Lumsden, R-Armuchee. “In principle I’m supportive.”

[…]