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A key Republican in the Senate says Kentucky lawmakers should take a serious look at whether oil extracts from the marijuana plant can provide medical benefits. Sen. Julie Denton, a Louisville Republican who chairs the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, said Wednesday that measures to allow cannabis oil have a much better chance of passing the legislature than bills to outright legalize the plant. "People need to get comfortable with something that they don't feel threatened by, that they can understand and that they can support rather than going from 0 to 60 all in one fell swoop," she said.
For nearly an hour, the committee heard testimony from advocates who say the cannabis plant – and its oils – can treat medical conditions, ranging from epilepsy to diabetes. It was the second hearing on medical marijuana in the 2014 General Assembly, although lawmakers have yet to vote on any bills. The House Health and Welfare Committee took testimony last week. Denton argued Wednesday that cannabis oil is more likely to win support in this year's legislative session because of its low levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana known as THC.
Debbie McGrath from the Epilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana testified that the level of THC in the oil is too low to produce a 'high' in users. And there is enough anecdotal evidence to consider cannabis oil as an effective treatment for epilepsy, a disorder that affects around 90,000 people in the state, she said. But some marijuana advocates called for a broader approach that includes other forms of the drug and said THC is critical to many of the plant's argued benefits. Sen. Perry Clark, a Louisville Democrat sponsoring legislation to legalize medical marijuana, said he is not ready to take a "fallback" position that strictly focuses on oil.
Clark's bill has failed to get traction in the past, but "the people are ahead of the politicians," he said. "The prohibition is the crime." As of Wednesday afternoon, no one in the legislature had filed a bill related specifically to cannabis oil. Still, Denton said, to move the issue forward, "it's probably going to have to start with the oil and have it dispensed by physicians in a very controlled setting."
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Courier-journal.com
Author: Mike Wynn
For nearly an hour, the committee heard testimony from advocates who say the cannabis plant – and its oils – can treat medical conditions, ranging from epilepsy to diabetes. It was the second hearing on medical marijuana in the 2014 General Assembly, although lawmakers have yet to vote on any bills. The House Health and Welfare Committee took testimony last week. Denton argued Wednesday that cannabis oil is more likely to win support in this year's legislative session because of its low levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana known as THC.
Debbie McGrath from the Epilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana testified that the level of THC in the oil is too low to produce a 'high' in users. And there is enough anecdotal evidence to consider cannabis oil as an effective treatment for epilepsy, a disorder that affects around 90,000 people in the state, she said. But some marijuana advocates called for a broader approach that includes other forms of the drug and said THC is critical to many of the plant's argued benefits. Sen. Perry Clark, a Louisville Democrat sponsoring legislation to legalize medical marijuana, said he is not ready to take a "fallback" position that strictly focuses on oil.
Clark's bill has failed to get traction in the past, but "the people are ahead of the politicians," he said. "The prohibition is the crime." As of Wednesday afternoon, no one in the legislature had filed a bill related specifically to cannabis oil. Still, Denton said, to move the issue forward, "it's probably going to have to start with the oil and have it dispensed by physicians in a very controlled setting."
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Courier-journal.com
Author: Mike Wynn
