No one in his right mind wants to see any child suffer. A very sick child is a tremendously emotional and powerful argument for doing absolutely anything to provide relief. The parents are battle weary, hoping for a miracle. Their friends, even acquaintances, desperately want to help. There is temptation to throw caution to the wind and do something, anything. That’s exactly why there is a process in place to make sure drugs are rigorously tested before they are approved for general use.
Georgia’s General Assembly needs to respect that process.
This year, a surge of bills pushing to legalize various forms of marijuana hit legislatures all over the country. In blue states, the push was for full legalization. Space doesn’t permit exploration of that folly — lower IQ, traffic accidents, rise in teenage use. In red states, it was for specific products and specific illnesses. “It’s safe.” “It’s necessary.” “It’s for the children,” supporters said.
In Georgia, Charlotte’s Web, a low-THC strain to be made into a cannabidiol oil, was hailed as the cure for children with seizures. That was the original bill. Next, it became a research-only bill, to allow clinical trials. Then, it became an unknown quantity of strains for anyone who has seizures who could “medically benefit.”
But there were practical problems. Do we grow marijuana here? There was discussion about research universities growing it, but they didn’t want to due to the potential loss of federal funds. So who will grow it in Georgia, since it’s against federal law to transport the substance across state lines? How will it be contained for the intended use?
Then, enforcement problems arise. Can drug dogs, officers or even the GBI crime lab tell the difference between legal oil and illegal strains? Since no arrest or conviction is required for civil forfeiture in Georgia, could someone potentially lose his or her car and other private property, including cash, for suspected possession of an illegal form?
How does this play out for the state Division of Family and Children Services? According to a CNN story this year, DFCS workers can take children from homes with any form of marijuana, even with a prescription, since the federal government still classifies it as a Schedule 1 substance.
Then, there was the matter of research deficiency. There was anecdotal evidence about Charlotte’s Web helping seizures, and there were a few decades-old studies on other strains — most containing more THC, the compound that causes the high. But there were no double-blind placebo studies in this century on this particular product.
In June, Dr. Christian Thurstone, a certified psychiatrist specializing in addiction, published an article exposing the dangers of Charlotte’s Web. He notes that even low levels of THC can cause more convulsions and brain damage, and that it has inconsistent quality. “Unfortunately, news reports and legislative hearings focus pretty much on success stories. Sadly, we hear very little about the dashed hopes of many families whose children are not responding,” he said.
The General Assembly didn’t pass the bill this year, but its backers are gearing up for another round. Georgians want to take care of sick children — but let’s respect the process and let the FDA do its job.
Virginia Galloway is regional field director for the Faith & Freedom Coalition.
