Still some reservations, but medical marijuana is making a difference for some in Valley
Marksen, 9, has severe autism and is nonverbal. There have been days when he screamed constantly and was prone to violent outbursts. He has struck and bitten his parents and has even punched himself.
But the plant's medicine has helped calm him, as well as helped him become more verbal, his mother said.
They currently get the medicine in oil form from a dispensary in
"He gets it usually just once a day," said Belkadi, 39, of
The couple has tried the different strains of medical marijuana from different states. Parents of children eligible for medical marijuana are temporarily allowed to travel to other states to get the drug, if other states allow them access, under the state law.
"I can say, overall, his bad days are a lot better than they were, but he's gotten older and he's gotten stronger," she said. "He's more vocal, he uses sign language a little bit more than what he was. As far as medications go, marijuana has helped him more than any other medications. He's still on other medications."
While the Belkadis and other parents say medical marijuana has helped their children, there still are concerns by some in the medical field about marijuana and whether there just are too many harmful effects.
Dr.
"There is a medicinal purpose, especially this cannabidiol (CBD) that works for these kids with seizures," Pagana said. "For pain, it's already better than opiates."
He noted, too, there are 25 percent fewer deaths from opiate overdoses in states where marijuana is legal.
But he still has reservations.
"I would like to see more studies done," Pagana said. "We're not sure of the long-term effects."
He said there are more than 300 different chemicals in marijuana.
"We're not sure what they all do. I'm just cautious about it."
What medical conditions are serious enough?
--Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
--Autism
--Cancer
--Crohn's disease
--Damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity
--Epilepsy
--Glaucoma
--HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) / AIDS (Acquired Immune DeficiencySyndrome)
--Huntington's disease
--Inflammatory bowel disease
--Intractable seizures
--Multiple sclerosis
--Neuropathies
--Parkinson's disease
--Post-traumatic stress disorder
--Severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable pain in which conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or ineffective
--Sickle cell anemia
Pagana's opinion reflects that of Dr.
Casarett investigated the topic of medical marijuana for his 2015 book, "Stoned: A Doctor's Case for Medical Marijuana."
"We don't know a whole lot of what it does," Casarett said.
Pagana does believe that health insurance should cover medical marijuana use where it's proven effective.
"These kids with seizures, it should be covered," he said. "Seizures -- that's a dangerous thing. If that's the only drug that works, they (insurance companies) should pay for it."
Medicaid and Medicare also do not cover medical marijuana, which has not been approved by the
Without insurance coverage, that means families such as the Belkadis will end up paying close to
Then there are the other costs involved. The Belkadis are in the process of getting Marksen's marijuana card to obtain the drug in
"Everything is in the works,"
She said the process to get the card is expensive and time consuming.
"It's a lot more difficult than I thought it was," she said.
Because she obtains the drug as caretaker for her son, she has to undergo a background check and get fingerprinted, then wait for more than a month for the background check to go through.
It's
"You also have to pay for the doctor's visit," Belkadi said. "We were fortunate, we found a doctor in
She said just finding a doctor can take months.
She said there were plans for a dispensary in
"I'm not enrolled," she said. "I don't want to drive to
She said it's difficult as a working single mother with a special needs son to drive that far.
"Plus, you have to go every month," Harding said. "I just know there's nothing within an hour of
Meanwhile, two local health systems have not taken a position on medical marijuana.
Geisinger issued this statement:
"Geisinger does not advocate nor renounce the use of medical marijuana. That means we will not encourage physicians to participate in the state's new Medical Marijuana Program, but we will not discourage them, either. We have established a committee that will provide our practitioners with guidelines to inform and assist with the process of certifying patients," said
Email comments to [email protected]. Follow Sylvester on Twitter @JoepSylvester.
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