Governor Baker is doing wrong by rejecting this kind of use
Re “Cannabis Bill Signed; a vetoed section” (Metro, Aug. 12): With all due respect to Governor Baker, allowing disabled children to take their medication to school for seizure control or other disabilities would not be the slippery slope the governor suggests is. In most cases, as the reporter points out, the cannabis is CBD, or non-harmful cannabidiol, not THC.
As early as January 2015, the American Academy of Pediatrics in a policy statement acknowledged “that marijuana may currently be an option for the administration of cannabinoids for children with life-limiting conditions or severe disabilities and for those which current therapies are inadequate.” Also, not administering a medication for a disability would appear to be in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Initially, Baker was skeptical about medicinal cannabis. Then he became more skeptical about responsible recreational use by adults, even with the safeguards in place and the additional state revenue promised.
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Not allowing disabled children in school to receive their prescribed medication is attacking the weakest in our society. In a way, the governor is right to veto a provision for a study of pediatric medical marijuana patients who use the drug at school. We don’t need a survey; these kids need their legally allowed medications at school now.
Dr. Eric J. Ruby
Taunton
The writer, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is among the few board-certified pediatricians in the Commonwealth who certify children with disabilities for the administration of cannabis.
She has been asking the state to grant her daughter such access
My daughter and I came here seeking access to medical services not offered in Florida. He suffers from a group of rare disorders called periventricular nodular heterotopia, pachygyria, subcortical band heterotopia and microcephaly. She has seizures and features of autism, and has been Dr. Eric Ruby’s pediatric cannabis patient for the past two years. She is 8 years old.
After starting with CBD oil, she went from one-word sentences to being almost fully communicative. His demeanor improved as he finally found his voice. I have been petitioning the Cannabis Control Commission and state legislators for the past two years to have access to medical cannabis in schools.
We are not the only family with these problems. I am fortunate to have the privilege, as a registered state lobbyist, to speak about it, as so many others are reluctant. Many still lack legal and safe access to medical cannabis for their children.
The original language of the cannabis industry law that the state passed last week would have provided a simple solution by allowing certified pediatric patients to access medical cannabis while in school. It was changed to more wait-and-see language, giving officials time to “study” the issue, and even that section of the bill was vetoed by Governor Baker.
My son and many others do not have a year to wait.
Michelle Novack
Needham
The writer is Director of Patient Advocacy and Outreach at Holistic Hemp Solutions.
