By Hank Russell
Over the years, many states — including New York — have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. While some states have legalized medicinal marijuana, a few states have only legalized the medicinal use of cannabidiol (CBD).
Most recently, President Donald Trump gained the support of the pro-legalization and medical communities when he signed an executive order removing marijuana from a list of hard drugs in order to increase research into the use of pot for medical reasons. While some say this will be an alternative to opioids — which are known to have addictive properties — others wonder if this will be the cure-all as proponents said it would.
On December 19, Trump signed an executive order (EO) that reclassified marijuana as a Schedule I drug — in the same category as heroin, LSD, methaqualone and peyote — to a Schedule III drug, which has “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” The EO also calls for research into medical marijuana and CBD.
“The Federal Government’s long delay in recognizing the medical use of marijuana does not serve the Americans who report health benefits from the medical use of marijuana to ease chronic pain and other various medically recognized ailments,” the EO stated. “Americans who often seek alternative relief from chronic pain symptoms are particularly impacted.”
The EO cited a study in which 20% of U.S. veterans who used pot for medicinal purposes reported using fewer opioids. Another study showed that 10% of seniors who used marijuana in the past year experienced an improvement in their health and less pain.
Back in July, George Mason University, along with Leafwell, a medical cannabis telehealth company, published a study of 5,200 patients with chronic pain. The study found that, compared to non-users, those who used medical pot experienced fewer sick days, saw an improvement in their quality of life and had fewer emergency room visits.
These studies showed the benefits of medical marijuana. But is this a cure-all?
Long Island Life & Politics recently interviewed Jeffrey Reynolds, Ph.D., the president and chief executive officer of Family & Children’s Association in Garden City, about the future of medical marijuana.
“There is some evidence that cannabis can be helpful in addressing some medical conditions, but the research base is limited in part, because it has been a Schedule 1 drug,” said Reynolds, who was recently appointed to the New York State Cannabis Education Advisory Panel.
As a cancer survivor, Reynolds understands how cannabis can help patients who might be suffering from nausea and insomnia and provide benefits to those with other medical conditions. However, “there should be better federal enforcement aimed at those who try to peddle weed as a cure-all and make unsubstantiated claims,” he said.
The advantage cannabis companies have is “the large marketing budgets,” while nonprofits such as FCA “struggle to bootstrap pilot prevention programs in schools on a shoestring budget. Good public health means leveling the playing field.”
While he doesn’t believe the reclassification of marijuana will result in more pot use, “the aggressive marketing of high potency products is having a huge effect on cannabis consumption along with the proliferation of illegal distributors,” he said. “Of course, I worry that this step [to reschedule marijuana for medical reasons] could be problematic, but I still think we are early enough in the cannabis game to make some course corrections that will protect kids and vulnerable adults, including those with mental health conditions and those who are pregnant.”
LILP also reached out to the state’s Office of Cannabis Management, but did not hear back as of press time.