TRENTON — The mother of a teenage New Jersey girl with epilepsy cannot come to school to feed her daughter cannabis oil that has helped control her seizures, a state judge ruled Tuesday, saying state and federal drug possession laws trump their right to use medical marijuana on school grounds.
Half of the states in the US have currently legalized medical marijuana, but quality research on the medical benefits of the drug continues to face delays. The internet is filled with compelling stories of individuals whose lives were dramatically enhanced with the use of medical marijuana, for conditions ranging from epilepsy, PTSD, and autism, but there continues to be a lack of quality, scientific, double-blind studies backing up these claims.
What is causing this delay? It all comes down to the federal government. Marijuana is still illegal on the federal level, in spite of the changes in various state laws, which makes it difficult to obtain for research purposes.
In March of this year, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated their policy statement on the use of medical marijuana, stating that it may be a viable treatment option for children with severe symptoms that have failed to respond to traditional remedies. However, in the latest attempts by advocates, Michigan rejected the use of medical marijuana for autism.