HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Some rejoiced. Others were disappointed. The reaction was mixed after Governor Ivey recently signed the medical marijuana bill into law for the state of Alabama.
One of those rejoicing is H Marty Schelper, who believes the drug could have helped her sister while she was battling cancer. Schelper said she’s always been inseparable from her sister, but eight and a half years ago the unthinkable happened when her sister passed away from cancer.
The very next day Schelper joined the fight for medical marijuana. She is now a part of several marijuana groups and also started the Alabama Cannabis Coalition. Schelper believes medical marijuana would have helped her sister. She said when she found out Governor Ivey signed the bill that would legalize medical marijuana in the state she couldn’t describe her emotions.
“The sick suffering, dying citizens of Alabama were waiting with a held breath for SB 46 to be signed into law,” Schelper said. “So I am very grateful for Governor Ivey and Senator Melson who have the tenacity to see this legislation through. It was an emotional rollercoaster.”
Another person who is happy about the legislation is Dr. Jordan Tishler.
Dr. Tishler is the President of the Association of Cannabis Specialists. He is also an instructor at Harvard Medical School and has his own practice called Inhale MD.
Tishler said he feels with the legalization of medical marijuana we can expect to see less of an opioid problem. He elaborated that if people with debilitating illnesses are treated with marijuana there is less of a need for opioids. Dr. Tishler said with Alabama passing the medical marijuana bill, he hopes other states will follow suit. He also feels there needs to be a unified national policy that allows people to get medical marijuana and travel with it just like other conventional medications.
“It’s part of the domino effect and the goal in my mind is to get to the critical place where patients across the nation can access this medicine under medical guidance,” Dr. Tishler said.
Not everyone feels the same way as Tishler, including other doctors. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, medical marijuana affects brain development. It’s important to note the FDA does not have an approved marketing application for cannabis for treating any disease or condition. Dr. Tishler said he feels this is more based on politics than science.
“The FDA doesn’t have the ability to recognize cannabis as a medicine until Congress or the executive branch have to change where cannabis sits on that Controlled Substances Act,” Dr. Tishler said.
When asked about contradictory studies on medical marijuana, Dr. Tishler said he believes the benefits of medical marijuana speak for themselves.
“The older research that was focused on harms was really funded specifically for those purposes, so the older literature is a bit tainted in that regard,” Dr. Tishler said.
“The newer literature is more accurate. I think this is best summarized in the report by the National Academy of Science Engineering and Medicine which came out in January of 2017, which is and I quote in their words incontrovertible evidence for the use of cannabis in pain management.”
