BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- As Alabama lawmakers consider legalization of a marijuana-derived medication to treat seizures and other health issues, the national Epilepsy Foundation released a statement today in support of patients having access to medicinal marijuana as a treatment option.
"The Epilepsy Foundation supports the rights of patients and families living with seizures and epilepsy to access physician directed care, including medical marijuana. Nothing should stand in the way of patients gaining access to potentially life-saving treatment," according to the statement from Epilepsy Foundation President and CEO Philip M. Gattone and Epilepsy Foundation Board of Directors Chairman Warren Lammert.
"If a patient and their healthcare professionals feel that the potential benefits of medical marijuana for uncontrolled epilepsy outweigh the risks, then families need to have that legal option now -- not in five years or ten years. For people living with severe uncontrolled epilepsy, time is not on their side," according to their statement.
The group's statement includes commentary from Dr. Orrin Devinsky, professor of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry and director of New York University's Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, in support of the foundation's position.
"Until we have the scientific data, we should make medical marijuana available to physicians who care for people with treatment-resistant epilepsy and their patients," said Devinsky, who is a member of the Epilepsy Foundation National Board of Directors.
"We need to make a balanced decision about compassionate use," Devinsky said. "Trying marijuana or related compounds should be regarded like any other experimental treatment -- a shared decision between patient/parent and doctor, that takes into account the severity of disease, risk and benefits of treatment, and existence of alternate treatment options, all guided by the principle of 'first do no harm.'"
In Alabama, proposed legislation known as Carly's Law aims to legalize the use of the marijuana-derived cannabidiol, also known as CBD, for treatment of adults and children suffering from seizures that other prescription drugs and medical procedures have been unable to control.
The CBD treatment does not create the intoxicating effects produced by typical marijuana ingestion, and many families in Alabama are urging the Legislature to legalize the substance that is allowed in Colorado, where some are moving to use the medication.
Birmingham-area parent Dustin Chandler, whose daughter is the bill's inspiration, said the Epilepsy Foundation's stance helps support the arguments for legalizing CBD oil in Alabama.
"Obviously it's huge news for the suffering children of Alabama and the people of Alabama for one of the leading neurologists in the country to say that they need access now," Chandler said in an interview today. "I think this bolsters Carly's Law's chance of passing through the Legislature. In my opinion, lawmakers cannot ignore such a strong endorsement from the Epilepsy Foundation."
Link:
Marijuana-derived medical treatment for seizures gets Epilepsy Foundation's support