CALL FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA SUPPORTERS TO SPEAK AT MONDAY BOARD MEETING in NEW ORLEANS
Inclusion of Chronic Pain and PTSD in State Law
The legalization of cannabis is a hot topic nationwide. The Louisiana Medical Marijuana Law is evolving, and non-profit organization SENSIBLE MARIJUANA POLICY of LOUISIANA (SMPL) is urging the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners to expand eligible medical conditions to include chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.
This Monday, February 19, 2018, SMPL founder and attorney David Brown and Dr Sue Sisely, MD will present to the Board of Medical Examiners’ monthly board meeting in New Orleans. Public comments are welcome; SMPL invites all patients, caregivers and supporters of Medical Marijuana to make a statement at the meeting to support the cause of Medical Marijuana access for those suffering from chronic pain and PTSD.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018 - 8:30am
Board of Medical Examiners’ monthly board meeting
630 Camp Street, 5th Floor, New Orleans
Join SMPL (Sensible Marijuana Policy of Louisiana) to speak on behalf of patients for the inclusion of PTSD and Chronic Pain Conditions in Louisiana’s new medical marijuana program. All patients, caregivers and supporters of Medical Marijuana are welcome.
SMPL is an organization dedicated to statewide coalition building, sound policy research, education and advocacy for substantive drug law reform. The non-profit organization wishes to undo some of the deep damage that results from the stigmatism of any non-violent fully consenting private consumption of a naturally occurring medicinal plant. www.smplouisiana.org
David Brown is a Louisiana biologist and attorney. While getting his master’s degree at LSU, he helped launch Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and the Cannabis Action Network of Louisiana (CANoLA). David then completed his JD at Vermont Law School and did lobbying and legal work for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) in Washington D.C. He returned to Louisiana, shifting part of his practice to Washington state, where he lives part time and co-owns a Cannabis processing facility. He currently practices law in both states, lobbies for therapeutic Cannabis at the state Capitol, runs the Coastal Cannabis Consulting firm and is helping deliver substantive drug law reform in Louisiana through the organizations Sensible Marijuana Policy for Louisiana (SMPL) and as a certified speaker with Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP).
Dr Sue Sisely, MD is a practicing psychiatrist and former clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. She is interested in research into potential medical uses of Cannabis or marijuana. In March 2014, Dr. Sisley’s proposal to study marijuana use to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was approved by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and in April 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration approved Sisley’s study, which is aimed at determining whether marijuana is an effective treatment for PTSD. Dr. Sisley is affiliated with the Advanced Biomedics company which was selected by Southern University to run their medical marijuana production facility.
Tony Landry, founder of Louisiana Veterans for Medical Cannabis, served six years in the U.S. Navy. Three years after leaving the military with an honorable discharge and a service-connected disability for back injuries, he required two back surgeries. Landry has been in with chronic pain ever since, struggling with addictive pharmaceuticals for the past 20 years. After building a tolerance to opiates, he turned to alcohol to numb the pain; this caused strained relationships with family and friends. Tony discovered hemp CBD, and learned of its effects on the endocannabinoid system to ease pain and stress symptoms, at last finding relief for his condition. He has since become an advocate for medical marijuana, creating Louisiana Veterans for Medical Cannabis to spread awareness for this safe alternative to pharmaceutical medication.
While 15,000 Americans die from prescription opiate overdoses each year, medical cannabis has not caused a fatal overdose. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that medical cannabis laws are associated with a 25% lower rate of fatal prescription opiate overdoses than states without the laws. Studies have shown medical cannabis allows patients to reduce or eliminate their need for dangerous prescription painkillers.
CURRENT MEDICAL CONDITIONS APPROVED for MEDICAL MARIJUANA DOCTOR RECOMMENDATION:
Patients in Louisiana diagnosed with one of the following severe, debilitating or life-threatening medical conditions, are afforded legal protection under the Louisiana Medical Marijuana law:
- Cancer, HIV/AIDS or the treatment of these conditions
- A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following:
- Cachexia, or wasting syndrome.
- Seizure disorders, including those characteristics of epilepsy.
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Crohn’s Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Spasticity (spinal cord injury)
- Severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristics of multiple sclerosis or Crohn’s disease
For more information and interview requests, contact: Bonnie Burkert, 213-200-0786.