Cannabis has a long history of being used for a variety of purposes, from hemp oils and fibres to medicinal purposes. It became acknowledged and accepted into American pharmacopoeia, where it was evaluated for treating diseases, or the accompanying symptoms, until the early 1940s. […]
Over just the last two years, 17 states have passed laws legalizing cannabidiol so that people suffering from significant issues have legal access to it. For intractable childhood epilepsies and other seizure disorders that have permanently encumbered countless lives and devastated families, CBD is proving to be a huge relief for patients throughout the world. […]
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. […]
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.” […]
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.
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[…]
Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) has made an unprecedented move and called on Attorney General Eric Holder to use existing authority to reschedule marijuana.
As CBD (cannabidiol) continues to make headlines for its growing list of therapeutic uses, supporters for this drug continue to make headway in bringing major issues to the forefront. Due in part to the countless families seeking out CBD as a component of marijuana to address serious medical conditions, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) has made an unprecedented move and called on Attorney General Eric Holder to use existing authority to reschedule marijuana.
“Marijuana is currently a Schedule I drug. This is a category for drugs with no medical benefit. Not even cocaine or methamphetamine are Schedule I,” said Congressman Cohen. “Patients have used marijuana to treat epileptic seizures, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Parkinson’s disease, and nausea associated with cancer treatment. The federal government should be doing more to keep abreast of the science that has demonstrated that marijuana has medicinal value as well as not interfering with states that have recognized that fact.”
This letter goes on to detail one of Congressman Cohen’s constituents, 3-year-old Chloe Grauer. Chloe suffered from a rare neurological disease that caused her to have several hundred seizures a day. Her family tried a number of options to treat her disease including medications and surgery, but nothing stopped the seizures. They finally found CBD and attempted to treat their daughter with it. Unfortunately, because of marijuana’s schedule I classification and their inability to source CBD elsewhere, they were unable to access the CBD they hoped would finally relieve some of these debilitating seizures. Sadly, Chloe passed away late last year.
Unfortunately, this story has become more common in recent months with states pushing for bills to bring CBD access to their state, just to get caught up in other red tape. In Wisconsin, a law passed nearly a year ago to help children with seizure disorders hasn’t helped anyone here yet. Families who pushed for it say they feel duped and want to know what happened. Even though Wisconsin law says people can legally possess it, they still can’t get it.
In Texas, the FDA is partnering with leading facilities like the Texas Children’s Hospital to understand more about the therapeutic benefits of cannabidiol. Texas Children’s is the only facility in Texas that is participating and has the highest number of enrollees of any institute. Currently, five or their patients are involved in a double-blind study using a liquid form of CBD called Epidiolex.
Researchers are conducting this clinical trial to discover more about how CBD can help patients, like six year old Izaiah Ruiz, who has a rare form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome. Patients with this type of epilepsy often endure hundreds of seizures each day, and they suffer from every type of seizure.
“It’s very terrifying, because you don’t know if that’s going to be the last seizure or the last one that’s going to take his life,” explains Izaiah’s grandmother, Lori Fountain.
Epilepsy is more prevalent than you may imagine.
“It’s unbelievably common! One in 10 people will have a seizure in their life – 100 people will develop epilepsy. The lifetime risk of developing epilepsy for an individual is 1 in 26,” exclaims Dr. Wilfong. He explains that it is more prevalent than Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, and Parkinson’s Disease combined, yet it is more under-funded than any of those conditions.
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.”