GOP Florida Lawmaker Wonders If State’s Medical Marijuana Program Is ‘Causing More Harm Than Good’
“That doesn’t imply that there should not sufferers who may massively profit from this, however we haven’t outlined the good thing about this.”
By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
With practically 900,000 registered sufferers, Florida has the most important medical marijuana program within the nation. Whereas campaigning towards a proposed constitutional modification that might have legalized leisure hashish final yr, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) hailed the medical program, boasting that he had legalized smokeable weed within the state in 2019.
However that doesn’t imply the Florida GOP-controlled legislature is all in with medical marijuana, and on Tuesday one Home member requested a state physician charged with analyzing the effectiveness of hashish as medication if its use by Floridians poses extra of a threat than a profit.
“You’ve made it very clear that there must be extra analysis throughout the gamut of this space, however you’ve additionally made it clear that numerous the analysis that you simply do have exhibits this program to be of questionable medical worth,” stated Northeast Florida Republican Dean Black to Dr. Almut Winterstein, a professor within the Faculty of Pharmacy on the College of Florida and director of the Consortium for Medical Marijuana Outcomes Analysis.
“My query is, do you worry that we’re inflicting extra hurt than good?”
Winterstein replied that the query illuminated the “conundrum” that exists in terms of the medical efficacy of hashish, which as a result of it’s listed as a Schedule I managed substance by the federal authorities has all the time had restrictions positioned on analysis. (The Biden administration proposed final yr to reclassify the substance as a Schedule III managed substance).
“That’s regarding,” she stated in response to Black’s question. “That doesn’t imply that there should not sufferers who may massively profit from this, however we haven’t outlined the good thing about this.”
In her presentation to the Home Professions & Packages Subcommittee, Winterstein reported speedy progress amongst younger adults as much as age 25 in Florida in itemizing anxiousness because the medical situation motivating them to hunt a medical marijuana prescription. She stated that was “pretty robust proof that marijuana assaults the creating mind negatively—particularly, cognitively.”
However she stated that was very totally different than taking a look at sufferers affected by continual ache or different medical situations.
‘Hip or cool’
“We simply don’t know sufficient about it,” she stated, including that in some instances she thought the motivation to turn into a affected person amongst younger adults was to be “hip or cool.”
These feedback prompted Broward County Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky to talk out—first asking if there had been any survey carried out to again the assertion about sufferers getting a medical card to be “cool.”
“I can not let you know whether or not this rising pattern that we noticed amongst younger adults is as a result of it’s a modern factor to do, or if it’s a real well being concern,” Winterstein replied. “That may be a extremely vital factor to deal with.”
“I simply needed to be sure that we’re speaking about precise knowledge and never opinion as to why individuals are doing issues,” stated Hunschofsky.
The South Florida Democrat adopted up on Winterstein’s remark that hashish might impede mind growth. She requested, when the physician was taking a look at analysis, was she additionally wanting on the results on mind growth that publish traumatic stress dysfunction or melancholy have on mind growth.
Hunschofsky referred particularly to how a youngster’s mind could be affected by watching a classmate “bleed out” in entrance of them after being shot. (Hunschofsky was mayor of Parkland in 2018 when the Marjory Stoneman Douglas college capturing occurred).
“Which is extra destructive to mind growth,” she requested. “Is it the medical marijuana or is it the truth that they witnessed their buddy be shot to loss of life and bleeding out subsequent to them within the classroom?”
“That is the place profit/threat turns into actually vital to know,” Winterstein responded, including, “There is no such thing as a drug on this planet that doesn’t come with out uncomfortable side effects.”
‘Emergency foundation’
Rep. Black later requested whether or not, if research present hurt from medical hashish use, would Winterstein be ready to react “on an emergency foundation” to any “alarming findings from that knowledge” and never wait to convey that info again to state lawmakers, even when they weren’t scheduled to satisfy in a daily legislative session.
Winterstein stated she doubtless might come earlier than legislators “inside just a few months” if revealed well being reviews required rapid motion.
The presentation included info on medical marijuana sufferers who suffered from “antagonistic occasions,” who represented fewer than 1 % (0.08 %), with 96 % of these reviews rated as medically nonserious and 56 % gentle in severity. And 95 % of these reviews had been submitted by simply 5 medical doctors across the state, main Winterstein to take a position that the variation in reporting recommended a excessive likelihood of underreporting.
The legislature created the Consortium for Medical Marijuana Outcomes Analysis in 2019 to “conduct, disseminate and assist rigorous scientific analysis on the medical outcomes of medical marijuana use.” It’s housed on the College of Florida campus and consists of researchers from 10 universities within the state of Florida.
This story was first published by Florida Phoenix.
Photograph courtesy of Philip Steffan.
