Earlier this year, you may have seen sponsored posts in your Facebook news feed or items that your friends post claiming the Virginia General Assembly had “legalized medical marijuana.” Like so much of what worms its way onto social media, that was #FakeNews.
But what is now law in Virginia goes farther than any previous law passed by the Assembly toward recognizing the medicinal uses for products derived from marijuana. And in law-and-order, socially conservative Virginia, it’s big news.
What the General Assembly did do in the 2018 session was legalize cannabidiol (CBD) and THC-A oils, which are produced from the marijuana plant, and create a system for their dispensing in the commonwealth. And unlike previous bills when legislators approved the oils only for specific medical conditions, the Assembly decided to leave it up to doctors to make that determination, based on the latest science and on working with their patients.
As we said, huge news for Virginia.
Under the law, there will be five, licensed dispensing facilities in the state, one in each of the five health regions. (Lynchburg and Central Virginia, as well as Danville and Pittsylvania County, are in the Southwest Health Planning Region.) Companies can apply to the Virginia Department of Health for a license, which will be decided on a competitive basis and could be up and operating late this year or next. The application process for companies opens this month.
Once a doctor determines her patient could benefit from cannabis oils, both have to register with the state pharmacy board. For the first dispensing, the patient has to travel to the regional facility and receive the oils in person; after that, refills can be delivered to their homes.
Cannabis oils aren’t approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — the federal government still frowns on medical research involving marijuana — but people suffering from a variety of medical conditions say the oils help relieve pain, seizures, inflammation and nausea. Indeed, epilepsy was the first medical condition the Assembly approved several years ago for cannabis oil use.
In 2015, the Assembly passed legislation establishing an “affirmative defense” for possession of cannabis oil for medical issues, but limited it to those with severe epilepsy. It was this 2015 law that the Assembly modified this year to give doctors the power to prescribe cannabis oils for any medical reason.
Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and enduring the often horrendous side effects of pain, hair loss and severe nausea; people suffering from Crohn’s disease, which involves crippling pain in the lower intestine and chronic inflammation; severe rheumatoid arthritis that can only be treated with infused drugs often as strong as cancer drugs; patients with crippling neuromuscular diseases — all these patients and more now have the opportunity to take advantage of an additional treatment to ease their suffering.
The manufacturing and dispensing system the state is setting up — there are 24 pages of regulations for the five regional facilities — is almost like that for a “normal” drug. Clean rooms with set temperature and humidity levels, a high level of security for the manufacturing line, even detailed instructions for how leftover oils are to be disposed of — there appears to be little legislators left to chance.
Yes, it’s a slow process, and some patients and physicians may be frustrated by the slow pace of change. Experts in the field say there are many ways for dispensing that could provide relief to patients, such as patches and sprays. But this go-slow approach has allowed legislators to get used to the idea, see its benefits for patients and develop regulations for the industry — and that ultimately benefits patients.
Ultimately, this is a victory for medicine, science and patients. If you’ve suffered from a disease like Crohn’s or endured the side effects of chemo treatments — or know someone who has — you know this is the right thing to do.