Medical industry pushes for THC limits
Although a large majority of public comments about State Question 788 urged the Oklahoma Department of Health not to impose cannabinoid percentage limits for medical marijuana products, records show multiple medical industry officials support the proposed strict regulations.
However, a doctor who specializes in the scientific study of cannabis says limitations on product potency will diminish the spirit of the ballot measure approved last month that rightly gives wide latitude to medical professionals.
The Health Department, through the newly established Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, received roughly 1,000 public comments through July 3 about emergency draft rules that will, if approved during a Tuesday board meeting, help govern the implementation of SQ 788.
Copies of the comments were made public Thursday, which revealed hospital systems such as Hillcrest — whose CEO, Kevin Gross, is on the Oklahoma Board of Corrections — and St. John offered their views on the Health Department’s propositions.
Among the most controversial portions of the 61-page draft rules are provisions indicating concentrate and flower medical marijuana products shall contain no more than 12 and 20 percent tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Many of the public comments questioned the rationale for those limits, saying scientific studies have shown higher amounts are more effective for medical treatment.
But Hillcrest HealthCare System and St. John Health System, in identical letters submitted on Tuesday, said medical marijuana products should not have more than a 12 percent THC level and that regulations should only allow for “products that provide predictable dosing to prevent poisonings, impaired driving and drug dependency.” The Marijuana Policy Project, a national policy reform organization, argued against a THC limit, noting it was not part of the state question.
Chance Gilbert, president and co-founder of the Oklahoma Cannabis Trade Association, told the Tulsa World on Thursday that activists have already shared their concerns with the health department.
“We told them that limiting the THC content in the medication is not going to help patients, so there’s no real reason to be putting limitations,” he said. “That will only help the black market thrive.”
Similarly, Sunil Aggarwal, a doctor from Washington state who studies the use of cannabis for symptom management for various illnesses, said Friday that the proposed percentage limits will likely make it harder for patients to receive proper treatment and for doctors to do their jobs. Aggarwal, originally from Muskogee, advised activists in Oklahoma during the early stages of bringing State Question 788 to voters.
“We have opioids that are more concentrated and less concentrated,” he said of the issue. “Nobody would ever argue against that. The Department of Health should be looking at (medical marijuana) that way.
“We created (788) in a way to maximize the doctor-patient relationship and not have political regulations.”
Aggarwal said dispensaries in Washington routinely carry products that have upwards of 70 percent THC for treatment of pain symptoms, along with mid-range items such as extracts, edibles and some flower products, and items with low THC but high cannabidiol, or CBD, content. A patient’s health history and needs will help determine which ratio is most suitable, he said, which is why doctors should have the freedom to choose from a wide array of prescriptions.
The letters from Hillcrest and St. John also ask that medical marijuana should not be sold in smokable forms, saying such a method is hazardous and potentially cancer-causing. The Oklahoma Hospital Association, in its own letter, made the same request.
Integris Health Care Systems interim CEO and President Chris Hammes discussed in his letter concerns with homegrown medical marijuana — which is permissible under the state question — and advocated for separate licensing, fees, record-keeping and inspections.
New Health Solutions Oklahoma, a trade group for the medical marijuana industry, has also encouraged those changes be made and has called for a special legislative session to enact regulations, a move that has drawn backlash from grassroots activists.