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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Dramatically differing testimony at hearing on cannabis-derived oil medication for sick kids…

The Senate State Affairs Committee is hearing dramatically different testimony from supporters and opponents of SB 1106 this morning, which would legalize a non-psychotropic extract from cannabis for treatment of children with a severe form of epilepsy. “This legislation means so much to our family, to our daughter Alexis,” Clare Carey told the senators. “On Easter Sunday, before she was 3 months old, she had her first seizure, it lasted 15 minutes. It’s a moment I will never forget.” Other parents shared similar heart-wrenching stories, of watching their small children’s tiny bodies wracked by painful and life-threatening seizures.

Meanwhile, Jeff Lavey of the Idaho Police Chiefs Association told the senators, “Pro-marijuana groups may see this as the first step to get legalized marijuana in our state.” He said after lawmakers earlier passed a resolution opposing legalization of marijuana in Idaho for any reason, “This is a kind of slap in the face two years later.” Other law enforcement officers said drug dogs will have to be retrained, and there would be other costs.

Sen. Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, told Lavey, “I thought it was a very artful statement that you provided to us. … You indicated that as written, you can’t support the legislation. OK. The target in mind is to provide a remedy. How, how would you write the legislation to hit that target?”

Lavey said, “We have had the opportunity to look at 13 different states that have some sort of regulations in place. They all have some sort of controls put in place. Idaho is the only one that just opens the door and has no controls. I think we could come up with some sort of compromise.” He said Elisha Figueroa, head of Idaho’s Office of Drug Policy, would offer suggestions.

But when she testified and Davis asked her how he’d change the legislation, she said, “SB 1106 is not the right option. … What I can share with you is that we have many concerns about this bill as written. … My primary option that I believe is a good, positive, viable option is the FDA trial.” She said an upcoming FDA trial would allow some families to get the drug, and others would get a placebo. She said as far as changing the bill, “We are not prepared today to have a recommendation.”



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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