Pubdate: Mon, 17 Aug 2015
Source: Journal News, The (NY)
Copyright: 2015 The Gannett Company, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.lohud.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1205
Author: David Robinson

MEDICAL MARIJUANA'S WAR AGAINST THE 'WILD WEST'

As a skunky smell wafted in the air, rows of tall, green marijuana 
plants stood at attention in nearby growing rooms.

Mark June-Wells quickly dispelled the assumption. The pungent odor 
really came from mason jars filled with waxy brown substances inside 
the laboratory, he said, and not from the leafy plants budding 
flowers at one of Connecticut's medical cannabis facilities.

June-Wells, lead scientist at CT Pharmaceutical Solutions, then held 
up another jar filled with a thick black goo resembling molasses. All 
of the oils and waxes, including the smelly ones, had been extracted 
from marijuana plants to treat patients with a range of serious 
illnesses. One jar, for instance, contained enough medicine to cover 
a cancer patient's entire year.

With medical marijuana business poised to open in New York, The 
Journal News toured a functioning growing operation to glean a 
glimpse into what lay ahead for the Empire State. June-Wells, a plant 
ecologist with a Ph.D. from Rutgers University, reeled off these and 
other details about the cannabis operation just north of Middletown. 
The building is essentially a mix of an office, laboratory and 
warehouse, including an indoor marijuana grow operation.

June-Wells and Thomas Schultz, president of the company, are part of 
a growing group of medical marijuana advocates focused on expanding 
research into the drug. Though legalized for medical purposes in 23 
states, including Connecticut and New York, growing and dispensing 
hurdles abound, owing to the fact that marijuana remains illegal 
under federal law.

Business leaders, doctors and scientists promoting improved medical 
marijuana studies describe their push as a battle against the "Wild 
West" approach in states legalizing the drug for recreational use.

While federal law enforcement and regulators have a hands-off 
approach to marijuana businesses, policy changes could prompt drug 
raids and legal troubles for those involved in the industry. Federal 
law still classifies marijuana as a schedule I drug similar to heroin 
and others without medicinal uses.

Marijuana businesses' liabilities have also kept many hospitals and 
universities from participating in research, although some studies 
into the medicinal uses are starting to gain traction despite the 
uncertainties. Some federal lawmakers are also pushing legislation 
seeking to reclassify medical marijuana to improve patient access and research.

CT Pharmaceutical Solutions is one of Connecticut's four medical 
marijuana manufacturing facilities, which the state approved last 
year. New York approved five manufacturing companies last month, and 
they are expected to start supplying patients with the drug by January 1, 2016.

Laws legalizing medical marijuana vary in each state, but leaders at 
some companies starting to produce the drug are trying to distance 
themselves from businesses in states that legalized it for 
recreational use - Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

Addressing his plans to partner with hospitals and universities in 
New York to promote marijuana studies, Dr. Kyle Kingsley said it 
differed from the "Wild West system of legalization in California and 
Colorado." Kingsley, chief executive officer of Empire State Health 
Solutions, one of the medical cannabis companies licensed to operate 
in New York, is also promoting efforts to expand research.

Amid that politically charged climate, New York's law is arguably the 
most stringent in terms of patient access. Among other factors, the 
law bans smokeable versions of the drug. Patients are essentially 
restricted to using cannabis-based oils, vapors and pills. Patient 
advocate groups are calling for expanding the list of eligible 
diseases in New York, as well as the forms of cannabis-based drugs available.

Cancer and AIDS patients are using it for pain relief and appetite 
stimulation. Marijuana is also being used to reduce seizures among 
epileptics. The growing list of potential uses touches on a range of 
issues, such as the importance of limiting psychoactive properties to 
increase medical benefits.

Kurt Smith of Connecticut talks about the benefits of using medical 
marijuana at Connecticut Pharmaceutical Solutions in Portland, 
Connecticut. Joe Larese/The Journal News

Kurt Smith, 37, suffered a spinal injury in a car accident. He has 
been using medical marijuana through Connecticut's program. Smith 
said his transition from opiate-based pain killers like Vicodin to 
cannabis-based drugs has improved his quality of life, mainly by 
limiting the negative side effects.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom