A national group against marijuana in Arkansas is asking the lawmakers in the state to enact strict regulations on medical cannabis. The group says that its objective is to lessen the potential health risks that touch on expectant mothers and their unborn babies. The Marijuana Victims’ Association says that its objective is to protect the public. However, medical professionals say that their claims have been blown out of proportion. Unfortunately, there is no other state that has taken this measure to protect their patients. These sentiments were shared by a California Pharmacist who was one of the authors of the recommendations for states establishing medical cannabis programs. This is what he had to say when called up to commend on the requirement for the state to enact safety protocols under the federal government’s program called REMS, that presently applies to a few drugs that produce extreme side effects.
Both the doctors and patients have gone through certain training and get useful information on medication. The effect of cannabis on expectant mothers has been a major concern. One of the plans that are currently underway is to ask doctors to do patient verification to make sure that they are not pregnant prior to marijuana recommendation. Dr. Curtis Lowery who is an OBGYN at UAMS said that a number of the potential effects of pot are not well known. In that case, Lowery said that animal tests show that weed given to a pregnant woman affects the brain function of the unborn child. However, he says that human tests are in a widely sense inconclusive. This causes a lot of fear as states such as Arkansas decriminalize medical cannabis.
According to Lowery, there are an increased number of positive tests during delivery time in America. He further reiterated that doctors in Arkansas have the duty not to give prescription for cannabis especially to expectant mothers. However, other recommendations have gone much deeper to include testicular exams, blood tests and mental assessments after a period of four months. The research has been sent to lawmakers in Arkansas and the Marijuana Victims’ Association hopes that they will be taken into account during the coming legislative session in January 2016.
The need for research and establishment of facts about marijuana use and its effects is an on-going campaign now that many states in the United States are decriminalizing the substance. The federal government is leading in making these demands which when conducted will benefit both the proponents and opponents of cannabis laws. There is a new administration coming into office and is especially of great concern at the federal level for weed entrepreneurs. There is a lot that needs to be done especially in places like Arkansas because it is not known the action that Trump presidency will take when the president-elect takes office. There has been some unrest among marijuana users and dealers following Trump’s appointment of Senator Jeff Sessions to be his attorney general. Having been against reforms on marijuana, Sessions is causing panic in cannabis circles and different states wait in anticipation to see what will become of marijuana’s future when he comes to office.
At the federal level, marijuana remains an illegal substance and is classified as a schedule 1 drug. Some of these groups like Marijuana Victims’ Association are drawing their strength from this stand taken by the federal government. However, some of the claims being made are completely overblown. It is true that many patients have found a solution in medical weed and rubbishing that truth is not welcome in many states. That is why there has been a wave of legalization of marijuana experienced in America today.
