The Parents Coalition for Rescheduling Medical Cannabis is asking the federal government to change the status of marijuana from a schedule 1 controlled substance to a schedule 3 or lower. Schedule 1 is the category for drugs with no health benefits, such as heroin or LSD.
These are families with children suffering from debilitating illnesses, including severe seizure disorders. Many families have noticed a drastic reduction in symptoms when their child was given a non-psychoactive hemp oil known as Charlotte’s Web, but the medication is difficult to obtain, even in states where medical marijuana is now legal.
As long as marijuana remains a schedule 1 drug, many doctors, hospitals, and researchers are unwilling to order these medications for patients, for fear of losing their license. Re-classifying the drug would make it available to more families, and would open the door for researchers to test the claims that these products are actually producing the miraculous results being reported by families across the country.
Jill Swing, a lead Coalition organizer from South Carolina, says,
“We are fighting for better quality of life for our children. We will not stop until this plant is federally legal for medical research and compassionate use. That means rescheduling.”
On Monday, Gov. Rick Scott in Florida signed a measure allowing the use a special strain of marijuana which is in use in Colorado.
Autism Daily Newscast has reported the link between autism and cannabis here.