Veterans With PTSD Continue To Face Barriers To Alternative Treatments

Posted on August 4, 2015August 4, 2015 by Justin Brown

In the U.S. military, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, about 11-20 out of every 100 Veterans (or between 11-20%) who served in these operations have PTSD in a given year. Additionally, about 12 out of every 100 Gulf War Veterans (or 12%) have PTSD in a given year.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur after you have been through any significant trauma. A trauma is an alarming and often terrifying event that you see or experience. Going through trauma is not rare, although only a small portion of people who have experienced trauma actually develop PTSD. It is estimated that about 8 million adults have PTSD in a given year.

While PTSD is a severe mental health condition, there is currently an insufficient emphasis on effective medications for PTSD patients. Additionally, the medications that are currently recommended for PTSD provide limited efficacy. […]

Breaking Down The Barriers To CBD Support

Posted on August 2, 2015August 2, 2015 by Justin Brown

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) (R) and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) talk during Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control hearing on Capitol Hill (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Over the past few months, from local community halls to Capitol Hill, one thing has been made clear: there is an outcry of support in favor of more research on CBD and medical marijuana. Proponents of CBD oil state that removing these barriers to research is the only clear way to market something so significant to families around the world.

Earlier this year, Democrat Sen. Diane Feinstein (CA) and Republican Sen. Charles Grassley (IA) urged the Obama administration to “definitively determine if CBD has scientific and medical benefits,” and to “look at expanding compassionate access programs where possible, to benefit as many children as possible.”

Recently, support has also come out from the director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Nora Volkow. Volkow believes that cannabidiol (CBD) – a nonpsychotropic cannabinoid – is “a safe drug with no addictive effects.” In a column with The Huffington Post, she further stated that“[P]reliminary data suggest that it may have therapeutic value for a number of medical conditions.”

With all of the talk going on around the country, is there any action behind these promises? […]

Research Proves Vital To CBD Oil Progress

Posted on July 27, 2015July 27, 2015 by Justin Brown

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) urges efforts to better facilitate “large scale clinical trials.”

In the past year, we have witnessed a major shift in the political landscape when it comes to medical marijuana and the public’s understanding of cannabidiol. Most recently, leaders in the Senate on both sides of the political aisle are demanding the federal government take steps to further advance clinical cannabis research.

On July 9, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), along with Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), sent a formal letter to representatives of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) urging them to take efforts to better facilitate “large scale clinical trials” in regard to the use of medical marijuana in states that have legalized it.

The letters states: “HHS has tools to collect data, conduct surveillance, and perform large scale clinical trials while states continue to focus on implementation. HHS has the capacity to facilitate interstate communication in order to derive a more accurate picture of medical marijuana use and treatments across the country. It is time for the federal government to pick up these tools and use them.” […]

Advances Made But Parents Still Fighting For Use Of Medical Marijuana

Posted on July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 by Justin Brown

A current hot topic in this country is the use of medical marijuana. Across the country, families are forced to jump many bureaucratic hoops to allow their ill children to be treated with cannabidiol oil. These families often try every other conventional treatment, often to no avail. However, through persistence, lobbying, and pleading, states are finally granting access to this life changing oil. It is important to note that this oil is currently available in all 50 states sourced from hemp.

The acceptance of cannabis derived CBD varies from state to state but progress is apparent. Last week, Governor Pat McCrory signed North Carolina’s CBD oil bill, HB 766. This means CBD oil will be legal in North Carolina starting August 1.

In Michigan, the state allows medical marijuana for seizure disorders. […]

Legislators Continue To Urge Support For Research On Cannabidiol

Posted on July 16, 2015July 16, 2015 by Justin Brown

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D.-Mass.

This week in Raleigh, North Carolina, the House passed Bill 766, which would make it easier for neurologists to prescribe cannabidiol (CBD) oil. A bill passed last year was designed to allow for wider use of the CBD oil, but many families say they still face obstacles because its use was supposed to be linked to academic studies. This year’s measure would allow for a less convoluted path for doctors to prescribe the treatment.

As this bill is headed to Gov. Pat McCrory for his signature, it is yet another important point in this trend gaining momentum. All across the nation, legislators have been waking up to the fact that CBD has therapeutic benefits and are being urged by their constituents to provide much needed access. […]

Legislative Focus On CBD And Epilepsy

Posted on May 4, 2015May 4, 2015 by Justin Brown

According to the Epilepsy Foundation of Texas, an organization dedicated to finding a cure and overcome the challenges created by epilepsy, epilepsy is the third most common neurological disorder after stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. It affects three million Americans of all ages and approximately 200,000 new cases of seizures and epilepsy occur each year. In Read more about Legislative Focus On CBD And Epilepsy[…]

Cannabidiol Progress Report

Posted on April 21, 2015April 21, 2015 by Justin Brown

Senate Votes On ‘Katie’s Bill’ To Allow Trials Of CBD Oil In Oklahoma

This week, Oklahoma legislature gave final approval for House Bill 2154, which excludes cannabidiol (CBD) from the state’s controlled substances act.

This bill states that physicians may recommend liquid preparations containing CBD and no more than three-tenths of one percent THC to patients with pediatric epilepsy. The measure also encourages clinical trials assessing the use of CBD in adolescent subjects. The measure provides no in state source for CBD oils and stipulates that such products must be derived from either the “seeds” or “mature stalks” of the marijuana plant. The bill now awaits action from the Governor, who has expressed support for the legislation.

NORML, an advocacy group for the responsible use of marijuana, reports that in 2014, eleven states enacted similar legislation; though as of yet none of these measures have been implemented in a manner that sufficiently provides patient access to these therapies. Madison, Wisconsin is just one of the many cities and states across the country that have seen stalled progress after these progressive bills were passed.

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CBD Research Expands Nationwide

Posted on April 14, 2015April 14, 2015 by Justin Brown

Doctors square off against lawmakers in Philly debate on medical marijuana (MEAGHAN POGUE / Staff Photographer)

The debate for the legalization and necessity of medical marijuana continues across the nation. In the last few weeks alone, the Missouri House of Representatives voted unanimously to move forward a bill that would broaden the legalization of marijuana used for approved medical purposes within the state of Missouri. Lawmakers in Tennessee also unanimously passed a bill this past Monday allowing the limited use of cannabis by medical patients suffering from seizures. The law, headed to the governor’s desk for signing, would allow someone diagnosed with epilepsy or other types of seizures to use cannabis oil, including children suffering from infantile spasms.

Philadelphia also recently hosted a congressional hearing regarding a medical marijuana bill for Pennsylvania legislature. In the hearing, physicians stated they believe that more research needed to be conducted on the benefits and potential risks of medical marijuana before the state legislators legalize medical uses of cannabis. […]

CBD Oil Education Continues Across The Nation

Posted on April 7, 2015April 7, 2015 by Justin Brown

As the search for CBD oil continues for families across the nation, the understanding of the benefits continues to grow by the day. While cannabidiol can be sourced from hemp and legally sold throughout the US, it is also found in marijuana. With countless stories highlighting parents’ desperate search for a high CBD strain of Read more about CBD Oil Education Continues Across The Nation[…]

Continued Calls Worldwide For Reform On Marijuana Legislation

Posted on March 30, 2015March 30, 2015 by Justin Brown

There are currently five marijuana legalization efforts underway in the state of Ohio alone; four by ballot measure to amend the state’s constitution and one as proposed legislation in the House of Representatives. In Idaho, the Senate has recently approved a bill that eases the way for use of medical cannabis oil by seizure patients. This bill is currently before the House. In the United States alone, calls for reform to laws prohibiting marijuana any under circumstances have been sweeping city governments.

The reason for this movement, it seems, is clear for anyone following recent developments in this area. Just look at Addyson Benton of Ohio, who was diagnosed with myoclonic epilepsy at nine months old and has up to 1,000 seizures a day.

Epilepsy: When Addyson (pictured here with her mom, Heather Benton) was diagnosed she was having up to 1,000 seizures per day

Her family has decided to move 1,200 miles to Colorado in hopes of getting treatment in the form of medical marijuana. And though she’s tried at least ten anti-seizure drugs, nothing seems to reduce her symptoms. Her parents, Heather and Adam Benton, researched a form of non-psychoactive medical marijuana, known as cannabidiol, and decided it’s in Addyson’s best interest to give the drug a try.

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