Three doctors in Utah including the top pediatric neurologist at the University of Utah have given their support to families attempting to access an extract from cannabis – Cannabidiol oil – that has been proven to be successful at eliminating seizures in epileptics.
The oils are referred to as Alepsia in Utah and the doctors said they should be made available as quickly as possible for children suffering from severe epilepsy.
The substance is not hallucinogenic or psychoactive, it has less of the THC than other materials legally purchased in the state and no abuse potential is attached to it, said the three doctors.
Last year Colorado and Washington legalized recreational uses of marijuana, but medical use has been legal since 2000. The marijuana extract medicinal use is attracting droves of families to Colorado who are looking for ways within the law to treat loved ones with epilepsy and cancer.
The letter was signed also be two other neurologists at the University of Utah, the first physicians at the school to publicly endorse the use of cannabis as a treatment for children who suffer from intractable epilepsy.
However, because the state of Utah does not permit use of medical marijuana, families have been faced with the decision of relocating to states such as Colorado where the oil is accessible, delaying the treatment or pushing for change in the state law.
The doctors stressed the oil use would be under the supervision of knowledgeable physicians and argued that children in the state of Utah should have access to the same therapy that is potentially life improving, as the children who live in Colorado.
The advisory committee reviewing this does not make binding decisions. The group is compromised of police, prosecutors and doctors and makes recommendation to the state legislature on the classification or scheduling of drugs. No one has argued to reclassify the extract or cannabis itself.
New legislation is being proposed that would allow the importing and exporting of products that use hemp, including the medical oils provided a limited amount of THC be contained in them.
