Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
The Senate State Affairs Committee barely cleared a bill Friday that would allow children with epilepsy to use cannabidiol oil to treat their seizures. The legislation is expected to have an uphill slog going forward.
The bill would not legalize the oil, but it would make having an intractable seizure disorder an affirmative defense if someone were to be arrested.
"We place a high burden on the parents but it is a path for them to be able to access this and to treat their children," said committee Chairman Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa, who's sponsoring the bill.
The original version of the bill would have legalized the oil outright for medical uses and listed more conditions it could have been used to treat. Cannabidiol oil is too low in THC to get someone high. Some law enforcement groups said at the public hearing on the bill that they had concerns about how to apply it.
McKenzie said he hopes nobody gets arrested for possession of the oil for clearly medicinal reasons.
"I'm hopeful that they never have to go into court to assert the affirmative defense because we will use common sense in dealing with it," he said.
The bill is called "Alexis' Law" after Alexis Carey, a 10-year-old Boise girl with a severe and rare form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome. There are some other children in Idaho with similar seizure disorders who could benefit from cannabidiol oil treatment, but her case has gotten a fair bit of media attention and helped to bring the issue to the forefront.
The oil is allowed in 14 other states that don't allow medical marijuana, said McKenzie. The bill is more restrictive than any other state's, he said.
Someone charged with possession of the oil would need to show a written recommendation for it from a doctor, and it would have to be labeled and in its original container. It would still be illegal to produce the oil in Idaho.
The committee voted 5-4 to send it to the Senate's amending order.
The measure is facing opposition from the governor's office, according to the Associated Press. Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, who voted against the bill, says the governor's Office of Drug Policy has drafted an alternative proposal. This bill will not be introduced this year, though, McKenzie said.
However, McKenzie said, he plans to introduce another bill in his committee on Monday that could help children with seizure disorders – one that would let a British drug company test Epidiolex, a cannabidiol oil medication, in the Treasure Valley.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Cannabis Oil Deal Limps Forward
Author: Nathan Brown
Contact: nbrown@magicvalley.com
Photo Credit: Adam Cotterell
Website: Times-News | Idaho News, Sports and Classifieds
The bill would not legalize the oil, but it would make having an intractable seizure disorder an affirmative defense if someone were to be arrested.
"We place a high burden on the parents but it is a path for them to be able to access this and to treat their children," said committee Chairman Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa, who's sponsoring the bill.
The original version of the bill would have legalized the oil outright for medical uses and listed more conditions it could have been used to treat. Cannabidiol oil is too low in THC to get someone high. Some law enforcement groups said at the public hearing on the bill that they had concerns about how to apply it.
McKenzie said he hopes nobody gets arrested for possession of the oil for clearly medicinal reasons.
"I'm hopeful that they never have to go into court to assert the affirmative defense because we will use common sense in dealing with it," he said.
The bill is called "Alexis' Law" after Alexis Carey, a 10-year-old Boise girl with a severe and rare form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome. There are some other children in Idaho with similar seizure disorders who could benefit from cannabidiol oil treatment, but her case has gotten a fair bit of media attention and helped to bring the issue to the forefront.
The oil is allowed in 14 other states that don't allow medical marijuana, said McKenzie. The bill is more restrictive than any other state's, he said.
Someone charged with possession of the oil would need to show a written recommendation for it from a doctor, and it would have to be labeled and in its original container. It would still be illegal to produce the oil in Idaho.
The committee voted 5-4 to send it to the Senate's amending order.
The measure is facing opposition from the governor's office, according to the Associated Press. Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, who voted against the bill, says the governor's Office of Drug Policy has drafted an alternative proposal. This bill will not be introduced this year, though, McKenzie said.
However, McKenzie said, he plans to introduce another bill in his committee on Monday that could help children with seizure disorders – one that would let a British drug company test Epidiolex, a cannabidiol oil medication, in the Treasure Valley.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Cannabis Oil Deal Limps Forward
Author: Nathan Brown
Contact: nbrown@magicvalley.com
Photo Credit: Adam Cotterell
Website: Times-News | Idaho News, Sports and Classifieds
