JEFFERSON CITY — When asking Rep. Caleb Jones about his bill to allow epilepsy patients to use cannabis extracts to control their seizures, don’t refer it to as his “marijuana bill.”
“It is a hemp bill,” Jones, R-Columbia, says to correct anyone who blurs the line between his proposal and efforts to legalize the plant with little of the THC sought by pot smokers.
The bill won an 11-0 vote Tuesday in the House General Laws Committee, shortly after Jones, who chairs the committee, held a hearing on his bill.
With House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, and House Majority Leader John Diehl, R-Town and Country, as co-sponsors, the bill could get to the House Rules Committee by Thursday and be ready for floor debate next week.
“This helps the children who need it the most and keeps the outside influences out of the state of Missouri,” Jones said of his bill. “This is something that is very personal to me and that is why I am doing it.”
Jones’ bill would allow a hemp extract developed in Colorado to be used legally by people with otherwise untreatable epilepsy. The product, prepared as oil, is low in THC and high in a chemical called cannabidiol that has generated excitement as a chemical capable of calming seizures without harsh side effects.
Genny Jessee of St. Louis County brought her daughter, June, 2, to the hearing. June can smile and laugh but cannot walk or stand due to developmental delays caused by her seizures. Jessee said she and her husband are moving to Colorado to obtain the oil legally. Colorado has legalized all uses of cannabis, both industrial hemp and medical or recreational marijuana use.
She is not afraid that the hemp oil would be harmful, she said. The only other option, she said, are toxic drugs. “When a doctor recommends a drug that could be fatal it puts other drug risks into perspective.”
Under the terms of the bill, an adult or child with “intractable epilepsy,” certified by a neurologist, could obtain a certificate to use the oil. Intractable epilepsy is defined as a condition that has resisted treatment with three or more known anti-seizure medications.
The Missouri Department of Agriculture is directed to grow the hemp, extract the oil and have it tested for purity. The oil must be 5 percent or more cannabidiol and less than 0.3 percent THC to qualify under the bill.
The bill also allows the department to designate universities in the state to grow the oil-rich hemp and conduct research under federal law.
No one testified against the bill.
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Hemp bill passes House committee
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