Easing child suffering
Amid the no-win budgetary choices and partisan wrangling that dominate the final days of the General Assembly session comes a bill that is just about giving relief.
Senate passage of a bill allowing prescription of marijuana in medicinal form for seriously ill children moves the bill over to the executive branch, where the next step is for the governor to sign it into law. The state House of Representatives passed the bill in April, and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has said he will sign it.
The Day supported the bill and looks forward to medicinal marijuana becoming one pharmaceutical option among others for pediatricians and parents.
Parents who lobbied hard for the bill over the course of two legislative sessions undoubtedly made it happen with their persistent urging that Connecticut follow the example of Maine and other states where families have gone for treatment that was illegal here.
Their advocacy for their children, who suffer from diseases including uncontrollable seizure disorders, cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy and other painful, life-threatening conditions, could not be ignored. They educated the public and lawmakers about both these terrible afflictions and the suitability of marijuana low in THC, the substance that causes its characteristic “high,” for treating children.
It took them more than a year, but in the 2016 session the state departments of public health and consumer protection and the state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics were willing to support the bill as revised since its introduction in 2015 by Rep. Kevin Ryan, D-Montville.
Patients and doctors will be looking to licensed growers to produce the approved formulation for patients under 18 in ways other than smoking, inhaling or vaporizing, which the bill prohibits.
The law, an amended version of the 2012 law that legalized medicinal marijuana for adults, is slated to go into effect Oct. 1. It legalizes use of a controlled substance that federal laws still outlaw. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut has said he is working on ways to protect the state law from federal restrictions, but insurance companies are unlikely to cover prescriptions for marijuana while the conflict remains.
Parent advocates estimate that about 100 kids in Connecticut could benefit from medicinal marijuana. The death of one child, Cyndimae Meehan, whose parents brought attention to this cause by moving her from Uncasville to Maine for care, added to the public’s awareness of the gravity of these illnesses.
It’s hard to celebrate a win among so much suffering, but this law will bring hope. Congratulations to the families, to Rep. Ryan, and to all who have made it happen.