Newsom's THC hemp-product regulation sparks uncertainty for patients
The deadline for approval on Governor Gavin Newsom's emergency industry regulations for hemp products is inching closer, leaving the more than five million Californians who rely on hemp in a state of limbo.
Brooke Adams is one such person who would be affected by the regulations. The 11-year-old was diagnosed with dravet syndrome when she was a baby. The disease is a rare type of epilepsy that causes poor speech and limited motor skills, but her mother, Jana Adams, insists that the seizures are the worst symptom.
"The many times that she's been intubated and had blood drawn and medications--she's got trauma from all the times that she's been in hospitals," Adams said.
Brooke is almost guaranteed a seizure every month. The attacks happen so regularly that her mother keeps a calendar reminder that notifies her of an upcoming attack every five weeks. Each seizure lasts between 25 to 45 minutes and every second puts Brooke at risk for severe, irreversible brain damage.
Jana administered a series of medicinal cocktails, but nothing worked until she tried CBD.
Brooke now takes daily tinctures of CBDV and Charlotte's Webb, a CBD oil made from industrial hemp with small traces of THC. The doses reduce the frequency and duration of her seizures, clearing up an attack in 15 minutes. But her treatment plan is in jeopardy.
Governor Newsom ordered a crack down of industrial hemp with intoxicating cannabinoids early in September. He ordered a rollout of emergency industry regulations that would ban these products from California's market.
Newsom's regulations would require that hemp intended for human consumption has no detectable THC, creates a minimum age for to purchase and limits the number of servings for packaging.
Dr. Lynn Silver, senior advisor at the Public Health Institute, says Newsom's plan would prevent children from accessing products that could potentially cause harm.
"The legalized hemp industry has jumped through loopholes that were in the laws that legalized their industry and created a whole series of highly intoxicating lookalike chemicals to THC," Silver said.
But Paige Figi, the executive director of Coalition for Access Now, believes the order -- though well intended -- isn't specific enough and targets more than bad actors.
"5.4 million people in California take a daily dose of CBD," Figi said.
Jana Adams has stocked up on thousands of dollars worth of medicine for her daughter just in case. She says they won't let the new regulations keep them from fighting for access to these products.
