Maine: Parents Continue To Push For Marijuana Legislation

Jacob Redmond

Well-Known Member
Parents who give their kids medical marijuana are continuing their fight for legislation to expand how it can be administered.

The group Maine Children for Cannabis Therapy is pushing for several proposed bills pertaining to medical marijuana.

Two of those bills hit close to home for Samantha Brown, one of the group's co-founders. Her 4-year-old daughter Kaylee has a rare form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome, which causes severe seizures.

"Managing it is scary," Brown said. "When she was first diagnosed I was devastated."

Brown tried several different types of prescription medications with no luck. It wasn't until she turned to medical marijuana that she said Kaylee started getting better.

The first proposed bill would allow qualifying patients to use medical marijuana in a hospital. In the past, Brown has secretly given Kaylee her medical marijuana at Maine Medical Center, which is against the hospital's policy.

"I know that if I don't give her the medication when she needs it, she could start seizing," Brown said.

The second bill aims to allow certain kids to receive medical marijuana at school. Brown is considering home schooling Kaylee when she's old enough if she's not able to give Kaylee her treatment at school.

Brown said the response from lawmakers has been mostly positive. Still some people have concerns.

Scott Gagnon is volunteer director of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Maine, which calls for a more scientific approach to medical marijuana research.

The organization doesn't necessarily oppose these bills or medical marijuana in general, but Gagnon has some reservations about expanding medical marijuana into schools.

"We just want to make sure that we're not creating a situation where it's being diverted to other people," Gagnon said.

Lawmakers still need to hold public hearings for these bills. They have not yet been scheduled.

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Full Article: Parents continue to push for marijuana legislation
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