Last month, the Virginia state legislature passed House Bill 1445, which will allow people to consume and produce cannabis oil for medical purposes. HB 1445 passed both houses before being signed into law, with only Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) and Delegate Mark Berg (R-Winchester) voting against the legislation.
The bill was actually in danger of dying in a senate committee, where it remained for around a week. However, one day away from the deadline for legislation to clear one chamber and cross to the other, the bill actually received a critical vote in a speedily ended meeting in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee.
WTVR reports that democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe said, in the bill signing ceremony on Feb. 26, that the bill was a victory for science.
“If the science shows that we can better individuals’ lives by the use of marijuana and the oils, then I am always open to that,” McAuliffe said.
The oil can be beneficial to treating epilepsy, according to Lawrence Morton, M.D, professor and chair of child neurology, and director of Neurophysiology Laboratories.
“There are cannabinoid receptors throughout the central nervous system,” Morton said, adding that cannabis oil and other chemicals found in marijuana may exert anticonvulsant properties which help treat epilepsy.
According to the American Epilepsy Society website, three million of people with epilepsy are at risk for seizures.
Morton is skeptical however, she said that there needs to be more research and testing on the cannabinoid dial CBD in Cannabis oil.
“Closer production does not necessarily benefit patients without assurance of quality,” Morton said. “More fundamental however is that despite encouraging reports, we still need to acquire high-quality scientific data to ascertain how effective CBD may be in the treatment of epilepsy and other medical conditions.”
Morton said that these studies would help doctors better understand the oil’s use in treatment. Morton also indicated that while Cannabis oil remains illegal federally, it is difficult to study for medical purposes.
Brandon Celentano, Contributing Writer