Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
It's been more than six months since the state Senate passed a bill that would make Pennsylvania the 23rd state to legalize medical marijuana and patients who could benefit are still waiting for the state House to act.
Fed up, protesters have set up a faux doctor's waiting room in the rotunda of the state Capitol to illustrate their plight.
Monday morning, Maria and Massi Belkadi of Mount Carmel, Northumberland County, were doing their part, waiting with a poster covered in photos of their 7-year-old son Marksen.
Maria Belkadi said she's growing frustrated by the inaction at the Capitol.
"The politicians get to go home and relax and we get the crap kicked out of us by our 7-year-old son," she said.
Marksen was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. About a year ago, his condition worsened significantly.
Marksen has outbursts that prescription drugs have not controlled. He has been hospitalized 30 times this year, his mom said.
The boy's not verbal. His parents don't know if he screams in pain or anger. If it's pain, doctors have not been able to pinpoint its source and treat it.
The Belkadis are frustrated that lawmakers are trying to pick who they think should get access to medical marijuana, Maria Belkadi said.
While the medical marijuana legislation percolates in the General Assembly, the Department of Health is moving to launch clinical trials on the use of cannabidiol, an extract from cannabis that does not have the psychoactive properties associated with marijuana use.
Pennsylvania is offering $2 million to hospitals for a study to determine if cannabis oil is an effective treatment for children with seizure disorders.
A health department spokesman said the hospital conducting the research should be named by the end of next month. The state could begin funding the trials by next summer.
The clinical trials were first announced by former Gov. Tom Corbett in May of 2014.
Corbett embraced the use of cannabidiol to treat children with seizures after parents lobbied the administration and shared powerful testimony before Legislative committees.
First-term Gov. Tom Wolf has kept the research trials on track, even though "he supports the use of medical marijuana to treat those suffering from pain," Health Department spokeswoman Amy Worden said.
Advocates derided the clinical trial as a waste of time and money.
Lolly Bentch, a Dauphin County mom who has led the parent protests, said "that was a stalling tactic by Corbett."
Karen O'Keefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, based in Washington, D.C., said the trials will either repeat work that's already been accomplished or be slowed by federal regulations.
"Research is important, but right now, there are thousands of people who need access to medical marijuana. They need a comprehensive bill" to make it available, O'Keefe said.
The Pennsylvania Medical Society has endorsed the use of clinical trials as a way of controlling the rollout of medical marijuana while adding to the research on the topic, spokesman Chuck Moran said.
The medical society's House of Delegates discussed the issue and resoundingly shot down a resolution that would have called for the compassionate use of medical marijuana, Moran said.
"The final vote wasn't close," Moran said. "Pennsylvania physicians are not on board. However, they believe the best route to follow is to expand trials and fund them through the state."
Wolf announced his support for legalizing medical marijuana shortly after taking office. In May, the state Senate passed legislation that would allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana for certain conditions. A week later, Wolf hosted a roundtable discussion on the issue with supporters and doctors at the governor's residence.
The legislation has not moved in the state House. Stephen Miskin, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Dave Reed, said Monday afternoon that the GOP leaders still hope to put the bill up for a vote before the end of the year.
Becky Dansky, the Pennsylvania legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project, said advocates have been adamant that medical marijuana doesn't get relegated to the back burner.
"We've been continuing to meet with lawmakers on a parallel track, while the budget negotiations have been taking place," Dansky said. "I think this is the other big issue out there and they still have time to get it done before the end of the year."
Belkadi is growing tired of hearing that the Legislature is almost ready to act on the issue.
"It's a disgrace," she said. "If they saw what we're going through, they would do something."
The trials OK'd by the governor won't help their son. The legislation that passed the Senate in May wouldn't help Marksen either.
Belkadi said she's been following the accounts of author and Brown University professor Myung-Ok Lee, who has written about how she gives her autistic son marijuana mixed into the child's food. Lee says the marijuana has alleviated some of her son's symptoms and Belkadi said she'd like to be able to try Lee's strategy on Marksen.
It's not clear that the bill that comes out of the General Assembly will be broad enough to help their son, Dansky said.
Dansky said advocates are worried about limits that they've been told might be included in the House version of the medical marijuana bill. That includes a ban on the use of marijuana plant material, such as that which Belkadi would like to try with her son. There is also a possible limit on the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, the medical marijuana contains. The THC is the psychoactive ingredient that makes marijuana users high but advocates say limiting the THC level could interfere with the effectiveness of the drug for people with some maladies.
O'Keefe said researchers in Israel found that 45 percent of people with Crohn's Disease went into remission when given medical marijuana with higher-levels of THC.
"They should fix the problems and bring it to a vote," Dansky said, adding that polls show broad public support for medical marijuana.
"There is no reason we can't do it now and do it right," she said.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: 'Waiting Room' Set Up For Medical Marijuana Supporters
Author: John Finnerty
Contact: Contact Page
Photo Credit: John Finnerty
Website: Sharon Herald News
Fed up, protesters have set up a faux doctor's waiting room in the rotunda of the state Capitol to illustrate their plight.
Monday morning, Maria and Massi Belkadi of Mount Carmel, Northumberland County, were doing their part, waiting with a poster covered in photos of their 7-year-old son Marksen.
Maria Belkadi said she's growing frustrated by the inaction at the Capitol.
"The politicians get to go home and relax and we get the crap kicked out of us by our 7-year-old son," she said.
Marksen was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. About a year ago, his condition worsened significantly.
Marksen has outbursts that prescription drugs have not controlled. He has been hospitalized 30 times this year, his mom said.
The boy's not verbal. His parents don't know if he screams in pain or anger. If it's pain, doctors have not been able to pinpoint its source and treat it.
The Belkadis are frustrated that lawmakers are trying to pick who they think should get access to medical marijuana, Maria Belkadi said.
While the medical marijuana legislation percolates in the General Assembly, the Department of Health is moving to launch clinical trials on the use of cannabidiol, an extract from cannabis that does not have the psychoactive properties associated with marijuana use.
Pennsylvania is offering $2 million to hospitals for a study to determine if cannabis oil is an effective treatment for children with seizure disorders.
A health department spokesman said the hospital conducting the research should be named by the end of next month. The state could begin funding the trials by next summer.
The clinical trials were first announced by former Gov. Tom Corbett in May of 2014.
Corbett embraced the use of cannabidiol to treat children with seizures after parents lobbied the administration and shared powerful testimony before Legislative committees.
First-term Gov. Tom Wolf has kept the research trials on track, even though "he supports the use of medical marijuana to treat those suffering from pain," Health Department spokeswoman Amy Worden said.
Advocates derided the clinical trial as a waste of time and money.
Lolly Bentch, a Dauphin County mom who has led the parent protests, said "that was a stalling tactic by Corbett."
Karen O'Keefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, based in Washington, D.C., said the trials will either repeat work that's already been accomplished or be slowed by federal regulations.
"Research is important, but right now, there are thousands of people who need access to medical marijuana. They need a comprehensive bill" to make it available, O'Keefe said.
The Pennsylvania Medical Society has endorsed the use of clinical trials as a way of controlling the rollout of medical marijuana while adding to the research on the topic, spokesman Chuck Moran said.
The medical society's House of Delegates discussed the issue and resoundingly shot down a resolution that would have called for the compassionate use of medical marijuana, Moran said.
"The final vote wasn't close," Moran said. "Pennsylvania physicians are not on board. However, they believe the best route to follow is to expand trials and fund them through the state."
Wolf announced his support for legalizing medical marijuana shortly after taking office. In May, the state Senate passed legislation that would allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana for certain conditions. A week later, Wolf hosted a roundtable discussion on the issue with supporters and doctors at the governor's residence.
The legislation has not moved in the state House. Stephen Miskin, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Dave Reed, said Monday afternoon that the GOP leaders still hope to put the bill up for a vote before the end of the year.
Becky Dansky, the Pennsylvania legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project, said advocates have been adamant that medical marijuana doesn't get relegated to the back burner.
"We've been continuing to meet with lawmakers on a parallel track, while the budget negotiations have been taking place," Dansky said. "I think this is the other big issue out there and they still have time to get it done before the end of the year."
Belkadi is growing tired of hearing that the Legislature is almost ready to act on the issue.
"It's a disgrace," she said. "If they saw what we're going through, they would do something."
The trials OK'd by the governor won't help their son. The legislation that passed the Senate in May wouldn't help Marksen either.
Belkadi said she's been following the accounts of author and Brown University professor Myung-Ok Lee, who has written about how she gives her autistic son marijuana mixed into the child's food. Lee says the marijuana has alleviated some of her son's symptoms and Belkadi said she'd like to be able to try Lee's strategy on Marksen.
It's not clear that the bill that comes out of the General Assembly will be broad enough to help their son, Dansky said.
Dansky said advocates are worried about limits that they've been told might be included in the House version of the medical marijuana bill. That includes a ban on the use of marijuana plant material, such as that which Belkadi would like to try with her son. There is also a possible limit on the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, the medical marijuana contains. The THC is the psychoactive ingredient that makes marijuana users high but advocates say limiting the THC level could interfere with the effectiveness of the drug for people with some maladies.
O'Keefe said researchers in Israel found that 45 percent of people with Crohn's Disease went into remission when given medical marijuana with higher-levels of THC.
"They should fix the problems and bring it to a vote," Dansky said, adding that polls show broad public support for medical marijuana.
"There is no reason we can't do it now and do it right," she said.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: 'Waiting Room' Set Up For Medical Marijuana Supporters
Author: John Finnerty
Contact: Contact Page
Photo Credit: John Finnerty
Website: Sharon Herald News
