CAMP (Cannabis Action for Maine People) Reports Public Hearing to Add Addiction to the List of Qualifying Conditions for Medicinal Marijuana in Maine
Maine is the 1st state in the country to consider allowing medical marijuana to be used as treatment towards "Addiction to opiates and drugs derived from chemical synthesis." This was a citizen initiated petition process as allowed by Maine law. The public hearing to decide the outcome will include doctor testimonies, citizen testimonies, many written testimonies and lots of science and studies to back up this petition.
Augusta, Maine, April 12, 2016 (Newswire.com) - The Maine Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) has scheduled a public hearing on a petition to add “Addiction to Opiates and Drugs Derived from Chemical Synthesis” to the list of qualifying conditions under Maine’s Medical Marijuana Program, which allows doctors in Maine to recommend cannabis therapy for myriad conditions including: cancer, glaucoma, HIV, Hepatitis C, ALS, Crohn’s Disease/IBS, Epilepsy and seizure disorders, Alzheimer’s Disease, MS, chronic pain and PTSD.
The petition, submitted by Maine-licensed caregiver and CAMP (Cannabis Action Maine People) Board Member, Dawson Julia of East Coast CBDs in Unity, Maine, is scheduled for a public hearing on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 at 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at: DHHS/DLRS, 41 Anthony Avenue, Augusta, ME 04330. The hearing is open to all; if you’d like to submit testimony, contact CAMP at: testimony@campmaine.org
"Maine was 1st to allow PTSD as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana certification. We were laughed at in Augusta when we approached law makers with this idea. Many thought it was a ploy to allow for people to get stoned legally. 2 years later PTSD became a qualifying condition for medical marijuana in Maine. Today 18 medical marijuana states allow PTSD as a qualifying condition and recently the Federal government opened the door for vets to use medical marijuana for PTSD. Maine will again lead the way and open new doors for those who suffer from addiction."
Dawson Julia, CAMP Board Member
If accepted, Maine will be the first State in the Country to formally address the opiate epidemic with cannabis therapy. Currently, doctors in Maine and other medical marijuana States are seeing the efficacy of cannabinoids in the treatment of opiate addiction and researchers have discovered that in States with medical marijuana laws, opiate overdose deaths drop by 25%.
Based on recent anecdotal and qualitative research and outcomes, Maine doctors, nurses, addiction counselors and other healthcare professionals are expected to testify in support of the petition. The goal is to target the raging opioid epidemic in Maine with a natural and holistic alternative and to collect treatment and outcomes data in support of further study and more exacting dosage and treatment modalities.
According to the Maine Attorney General, 2015 once again saw a shocking 31% surge in overdose deaths, for a record high of 272 deaths. Drug overdose deaths continue to double and triple yearly in Maine and medical cannabis is increasingly being seen as a viable solution to address the scourge of addiction.
CAMP (Cannabis Action Maine People) is circulating a Patient Impact Survey on its website at www.campmaine.org/survey and in doctors’ offices and dispensaries across the State that invites patients to share the impact cannabis has had on their use of pharmaceuticals and or opiates. Those striking results will be shared at the DHHS hearing on April 19. CAMP is a patient advocacy organization whose mission is to protect, expand and improve the Maine Medical Marijuana Program (MMMP.)
Contact:
Dawson Julia, CAMP
press@campmaine.org
www.campmaine.org
CAMP
PO Box 122
Lisbon, ME 04250-0122
207-716-6278
Source: CAMP (Cannabis Action For Maine People)