Pubdate: Wed, 29 Jan 2014
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)
Copyright: 2014 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc
Contact:  http://www.philly.com/inquirer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340
Authors: Amy Worden and Marie McCullough

DIVIDED HEARING ON MEDICAL POT

Doctors Were Among Those Split in Testimony on Medical Marijuana in PA.

Doctors and the broader public may be split on the prospect of 
legalizing medical marijuana in Pennsylvania.

But the mothers who lined up at a Senate hearing Tuesday to testify 
about their children's severe chronic illnesses and a lack of 
treatment were not.

Christine Brann's 3-year-old son, Garrett, has Dravet syndrome, a 
severe form of epilepsy. She said that doctors had tried 10 
medications to control his seizures, but none worked.

"Medical marijuana is the only course of treatment we have left," 
said Brann, of Hummelstown, Dauphin County.

Brann was among 20 individuals and group representatives testifying 
before the Senate Law and Justice Committee on a bill to legalize 
marijuana use as recommended by physicians.

Dana Ulrich spoke on behalf of Heather Shuker, who Ulrich said had to 
rush her 10-year-old daughter, Hannah, to a Pittsburgh-area hospital 
Tuesday morning.

Shuker said her daughter's pediatrician, Lidia Comini-Turzai, favored 
medical marijuana treatment for Hannah, who suffers from epileptic 
seizures and debilitating side effects from prescription drugs.

"My daughter is quickly diminishing away," Shuker wrote. "I am 
pleading with you all that you vote yes to SB-1182 to save Hannah's 
life and others who suffer as she does."

Comini-Turzai is the wife of the House Majority Leader Mike Turzai 
(R., Allegheny). But just because the doctor supports medical 
legalization does not mean her spouse would. Asked about Turzai's 
position on the issue, his spokesman, Steve Miskin, said: "This is an 
issue for the federal Food and Drug Administration and not the state 
legislature."

The committee chairman, Sen. Chuck McIlhinney (R., Bucks), said that 
he was determined to draft the best bill possible and that he could 
bring it to a vote. Such a move would be unprecedented for medical 
marijuana legislation in the Assembly.

But McIlhinney cautioned that that day could still be a ways off. 
"I'm not ready to say I'm ready to do it," he said after the hearing.

Gov. Corbett has steadfastly said he opposes legalization of 
marijuana for recreational or medicinal use.

One step in that direction could be the doctor-recommended use of 
cannabidiol (also known as CBD or "Charlotte's Web,") a strain of 
marijuana made from an oil extract that has been effective in 
treating epilepsy. Corbett's spokesman, Jay Pagni, said the governor 
would decide on CBD use "only after the FDA makes a determination on 
the safety and efficacy of it."

Physicians statewide are also torn over the propriety of medical marijuana.

Michael Fraser, executive director of the Pennsylvania Medical 
Society, testified that the doctors' group does not recommend 
marijuana for medical use, but supports additional research into its 
effectiveness.

"We believe a compelling case exists for a serious scientific 
examination of the potential medical use of marijuana," said Fraser, 
but he added, "The legalization of marijuana for medical use is 
premature and unwise."

The society wants the federal Drug Enforcement Agency to change its 
classification of the drug, a step that would open the door to more 
studies of its safety and effectiveness. The DEA classifies marijuana 
as a Schedule 1 drug, which means it has no accepted medical use and 
a high potential for abuse.

The division among individual members of the society was apparent 
during a call-in medical conference Tuesday.

Bruce MacLeod, a Pittsburgh emergency medicine physician and 
president of the society, said that reports of marijuana's benefits 
were anecdotal and that existing clinical research was inadequate. He 
said the drug's best delivery system - smoking it - comes with 
undesirable side effects.

Lee Harris, an Abington neurologist who treats multiple sclerosis 
patients, said controlled trials going back to 1979 had proven 
marijuana can relieve muscle spasms in MS and chronic pain.

"It is reasonable to consider medical marijuana as a treatment for 
these patients," he said. "It is my view that the reported benefits 
outweigh the side effects."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom