New Bill Helps Kids Get Relief Without The High

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S-2842, an amendment to New Jersey's Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, is on Gov. Chris Christie's desk awaiting his signature.

Brian and Meghan Wilson's 2-year-old daughter, Vivian, suffers from a rare and severe form of treatment-resistant epilepsy known as Dravet syndrome. Vivian's parents have exhausted all treatment options. Despite their efforts, Vivian has a minimum of 10 seizures a day.

In their quest to reduce Vivian's life-threatening seizures, the Wilsons learned about an unconventional therapy that has worked phenomenally for children in Colorado and California: medical marijuana. The strain that Vivian needs is a non-psychoactive form of marijuana that doesn't give a high and comes in the form of a tincture.

In order for Vivian to be able to receive a state-issued medical marijuana card, her parents were required to find three doctors to sign an approval: a medical doctor, a pediatrician and even a psychiatrist. As only two pediatricians are on the state's medical marijuana physician registry, they had difficulty finding the final doctor.

Current law bars edible medical marijuana, and there is a restriction on the number of strains allowed to be cultivated. The only medical marijuana Vivian can receive access to not only produces a high, but it also must be smoked. The only edible form allowed is a lozenge, which can be a choking hazard.

Jackson Stormes, 14, also has Dravet syndrome. He has been on 50 medications, had two brain surgeries, and follows a special diet, yet he still seizes an average of two to eight times per day. Jackson has tried a medical marijuana tincture while living part time with his father in California. As a result, his seizures decreased in intensity and duration, and he had improvements in both language and use of speech, along with better cooperation and attention. The improvements dwindled once he returned to New Jersey. There is now renewed hope with the new law.

S-2842 will remove the limit on strains and edible forms, as well as reduce the three-doctor requirement to one, which is the same for adults. It will also help prevent minors from getting high by increasing access to non-psychoactive strains.

Gov. Christie has given no indication about whether he will sign the bill into law or veto it, but he clearly stated that he's not inclined to allow them to have it. Meanwhile, children are prescribed narcotics that are far more dangerous than marijuana, those that are both physically addicting and can have fatal consequences. If the amendment is signed into law, it has the potential to lower addiction and fatality rates in New Jersey. To encourage the governor to sign this important amendment into law, visit Letters for Vivian: Help Save this Young Girl's Life.

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News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: phillyburbs.com
Author: Gretchen Barrett
Contact: feedback@phillyburbs.com
Website: New bill helps kids get relief without the high - phillyburbs.com: Reader Voices
 
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