A bill approving the use of marijuana oil for therapeutic medical treatments won approval in the Virginia Senate with unanimous support Tuesday and is now heading to the Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s desk.
The bill opens avenues for therapeutic marijuana treatment, specifically involving children with severe forms of epilepsy. Extracting certain elements found in marijuana plants into an oil reduces intoxicating effects while leaving properties that can help prevent seizures, reports The Washington Post.
“I think they’re opening up to medical marijuana as a whole,” Beth Collins, a Fairfax mother, told Daily Press.
Collins and many parents say the oil is often the only thing that will stop an aggressive epileptic seizure in their children.
Parents of children struggling with debilitating conditions reportedly began crying in the Senate chambers as the measure passed its last legislative test before being sent to the governor for final approval. State backing of therapeutic marijuana treatments will come as a relief to parents who have struggled to find marijuana oil supplies for their children in the past, reports Daily Press.
The bill would protect parents from prosecution for possession of cannabidiol oil, or CBD, which is known for mimicking the anxiety reducing effects of anti-seizure prescription medications such as Ativan, Xanax and Klonopin. It would also protect possession of THC-A oil, a non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana plants.
The parents of children with severe epilepsy have often risked breaking the law to secure the therapeutic oils for their kids. Many have traveled to Colorado dispensaries and illegally transported the oils over state lines. Some legal dispensaries in certain states will ship oils, but that risks a violation of federal law.
The bill, initially passed by the General Assembly a year ago, aimed at protecting parents from legal penalties for possession. Virginia lawmakers are now on a clearer path towards medical marijuana facilities in Virginia. The bill sets up a regulatory review that spans 280 days to look at the possibility of establishing medical marijuana facilities which would specifically produce oil for epileptic patients registered with the state Board of Pharmacy.
Lisa Smith, a mother helping the legal effort told Daily Press, “The old stereotype is falling away.”
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