Pennsylvania & New Jersey Mothers Frustrated With Medical Marijuana Options

The General;1980534 said:

Medical marijuana has done wonders for Hope Township teenager Jackson Stormes. He last suffered a prolonged seizure Nov. 18, and he's now alert and bright-eyed, taking medical marijuana and only two low-dosage anti-epileptic drugs compared to the seven different medications he used to take, according to his mother, Jennie Stormes. "His life was taken away from him by these drugs," she said.

But the marijuana is from California, where Jackson's father lives, making his son eligible for a medical marijuana card. While Gov. Chris Christie in September did approve changes to the state's medical marijuana program, Stormes is among the growing ranks criticizing the slow implementation of New Jersey's fledgling program and Christie's refusal to further expand it.

Meanwhile in Pennsylvania, a Bethlehem mother testified last week before a state Senate committee about the need for a medical marijuana program, sharing with them the story of her 17-year-old son who became uncontrollably violent on a medication meant to control his seizures. "If it weren't for my amazing husband taking care of (my son) while still protecting me, I might not be here today to tell my story," said Deena Kenney, testifying before the Pennsylvania Senate Law and Justice Committee.

N.J. Law Changes, But Mom Wishes It Was Faster
The changes approved last year by Christie included allowing licensed growers to cultivate as many marijuana strains as they'd like to grow and to produce edible forms of the drug that would be easier for children to ingest. The governor refused to lift the requirement that at least three physicians, including a pediatrician and a psychiatrist, sign off on a child's medical marijuana use.

Stormes is critical of the state's decision to limit the use of edible marijuana to only minors. The extracted oils that can be added to butter or olive oil can be more accurately administered, which is necessary for some conditions, compared to vaporizing or smoking, she said. When Jackson turns 18, Stormes doesn't want him to be forced into smoking medical marijuana. Jackson, who suffers from Dravet syndrome, has been on medications to control his seizures since he was 5 months old. With the use of medical marijuana, Stormes said she was able to start weaning her son of certain medications last year.

Stormes said she's frustrated by the bureaucratic delays that have prevented the necessary strains from being developed into an edible form for her son, and she hasn't ruled out the prospect of moving to a state where the medication is available. In a recent op-ed published in the Burlington County Times, New Jersey Health Commissioner Mary O'Dowd defended the state's program as it was built "from the ground up as a medical model with patient safety the paramount concern."

Since the first facility opened in December 2012, the state's three dispensaries have dispensed more than 70 pounds of marijuana to about 1,000 patients, according to O'Dowd. Growers are cultivating 30 strains, and the treatment centers are developing production protocols for the edible products, she wrote. "These are private enterprises created at the initiative of entrepreneurs and financiers," O'Dowd wrote. "Our role is regulatory, to ensure that the product they distribute is tested and safe from contaminants that could be harmful to patients with compromised immune systems."

Rather Than Wait, Family Heads West
Ken Wolski is chief executive officer for the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey. He expects parents who want medical marijuana for their children will be waiting for at least a year until the edible forms are ready given the track record of a program approved more than four years ago. Some delays are appropriate to ensure the quality of the medications, Wolski said. But many of the delays are self-imposed, such as needing legislation to allow more strains and edible medications when those restrictions were not written into the original law, he said.

The bill also allowed the expansion of qualifying conditions after the state issued two annual reports on the program, Wolski said. But the state has not issued even its first report, prompting a state appeals court to order the administration to release a report in response to a legal challenge, he said. In the interim, families like Meghan and Brian Wilson, of Scotch Plains, N.J., who became a symbol of the issue, announced in December they were moving to Colorado, so they could get the necessary edible strain for their 2-year-old daughter, who suffers from severe epilepsy.

"They have to uproot their whole lives because they don't want to risk their daughter's life," Wolski said. "Unfortunately, we're creating these medical refugees here in the state." Not everyone backs the push toward more liberal marijuana laws. The head of Texas-based Origins Recovery Centers says marijuana consumption can impair brain development in young adults. Ben Levenson, the CEO and founder, also questions the impact on addiction that can come with wider availability. "We have put ourselves in a dangerous situation by beginning to legalize a drug that can cause addiction and can be a gateway to more dangerous ones, without putting a treatment and education plan in place," Levenson said in a statement.

Medical Marijuana In Pa.?
The Pennsylvania Senate's law and justice committee held a three-hour hearing last week on a proposal by Sen. Daylin Leach to create a medical marijuana program. The measure — S1182 — would mandate that the marijuana be grown in the state by licensed distributors, and that doctors could prescribe medical marijuana like any other medication, making it available at pharmacies.

Leach said he hopes for a committee vote in the next few weeks. The Democrat representing Montgomery and Delaware counties said he proposed similar legislation years ago that failed to gain traction. Now, he feels there's enough momentum with a Republican co-sponsor in Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Dauphin/Lebanon/York, and 20 states and Washington D.C. legalizing medical marijuana. Last week, Connecticut issued growing licenses and Massachusetts issued distribution licenses, Leach said.

"This is just moving at a million miles an hour," he said. Deena Kenney told lawmakers last week about her 17-year-old son, Christopher, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder called tuberous sclerosis, a condition that hardens part of the brain. He began suffering seizures at six weeks old, as many as 80 to 100 a day until he was 2. The family has tried 17 different medications, and Christopher has always taken at least three prescriptions at a time. The family tried an experimental drug from another country. Dietary changes and supplements. Surgery to remove a quarter of his frontal lobe. Implanting a nerve stimulator in his brain. Nothing has worked, and Kenney told the committee her son needs another option.

"As we nave no other options at this time, I would like the opportunity to try medical cannabis for my son's seizures," she testified. "But I can't because there are outdated laws that prevent me from doing so." In a telephone interview, Kenney said her son's most drastic side effects came with the anti-seizure medicine Onfi. Chris has shown aggression because of his medical condition and medications, but he directed a vicious rage toward her while on Onfi, she said.

He once woke up in the middle of the night looking for his mother repeating "hit mommy," Kenney said, and she's had to sneak into her own home through a basement window while he was slowly weaned off the medication. "When people talk about marijuana being dangerous, it annoys me because some of these medications are more dangerous," she said. Kenney does not dismiss the use of anti-seizure medications or fault manufacturers as some children respond well to drugs like Onfi. But families like hers have simply run out of options, she said. And there's an abundance of evidence that shows marijuana strains low in the chemical that causes a marijuana high are effective in controlling seizures, Kenney said. "The worst part is watching your child suffer," she said.

News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Lehighvalleylive.com
Author: Edward Sieger
Contact: Contact Us at Lehighvalleylive
Website: Pennsylvania, New Jersey mothers frustrated with medical marijuana options

Click to expand...