At a time when it’s more important than ever to rebuild trust between doctors and patients, Alabama’s Board of Medical Examiners issued a shocking note regarding the health and well-being of Alabama’s children. I paid. Without prompt remedial action by the Alabama legislature, the state’s most vulnerable people will be left without protection from marijuana, a toxic “cure” legalized by medical officials.
Unlike the tragic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, exposure to this toxic substance is not confined to one town. It spreads across our state.
Marijuana is certainly nothing new or revolutionary. Also, no double-blind controlled trials have shown it to be safe or effective for children or expectant mothers. Every effort was made to protect the unborn child. But now, like wolves in sheep’s clothing, our medical facilities are poised to deploy marijuana as a panacea for every disease that plagues us.
The Alabama Legislature and Gov. Kay Ivey enacted a devastating “medical” marijuana law in 2021. For years, our doctors, educators, law enforcement, and child advocates have successfully cite the harm of cannabis and keep the marijuana industry out of Alabama.
But then COVID hit. Our lives were turned upside down and the State Capitol was closed to the public, but marijuana lobbyists swooped in and won the day.
Alabama taxpayers already need millions of dollars for the industry’s pioneering cannabis commission to try to profit from addiction. States that have legalized marijuana use see a steady increase in harm to citizens each year. But while a growing body of scientific medical research continues to show the adverse effects of cannabis exposure, our rival health authorities are aligning best practices for legal medicine with the pressures of the cannabis industry. It oscillates in between.
This is demonstrated by the November 2021 proposed grossly inadequate marijuana distribution rule. This rule did not contain meaningful protections for children and unborn children. There were no clear physician guidelines for recommending marijuana use, and no definitive guidance on informed consent regarding side effects and drug interactions.
With generous public comment time on these rules, the medical community encourages pregnancy testing, home lockboxes with children, documentation of previous failures of standard medical procedures, frequent follow-up monitoring visits, and It recommended requiring a reporting and reporting system. Treat side effects.
Unfortunately, none of these proposals were adopted.
Instead, the Medical Board created a “window dressing” regulation by banning cannabis doctors from recommending marijuana cards to pregnant or breastfeeding women. and no follow-up other than an annual physical examination is required.
Marijuana puts your child at increased risk for autism, heart defects, microcephaly, Down syndrome, spina bifida, and more, according to Doan Law Firm, which is suing for damages caused by the marijuana industry and cannabis doctors. We applaud medical authorities for recognizing the harm of cannabis to developing babies and newborns, but we need regulation to protect patients, not just doctors’ responsibility.
Fortunately, the Drug-Free Babies Act can fill that gap. I can assure you that this is a dangerous assumption. I ask the legislature to do better.
Unfortunately, there are some political leaders in the state who seem to have sold out on marijuana profits. They are using their power to ensure that any effort to introduce legislation like the Drug-Free Babies Act dies in commission.
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission was established to oversee this quasi-treatment, but unfortunately it is more concerned with promoting the interests of marijuana producers and providers than ensuring public and patient safety. There seems to be interest. We have ignored reports in important peer-reviewed medical journals that explicitly point out. The cannabis products they promulgate should at least have an associated risk assessment and mitigation strategy, such as the iPLEDGE program for using Accutane. Honestly, these products should have warning statements like those found on cigarette packages.
As a physician, I have seen firsthand the problems marijuana use has caused for my patients. But I’m also a father grieving for his son who died of an overdose… It all started with an unfortunate early exposure to marijuana that turned into an addiction he could never shake.
“There is nothing new under the sun,” wise King Solomon once said. No matter how you dress it up, marijuana is an addictive and dangerous substance, and children and unborn babies need to be protected. If they don’t, or don’t abolish them entirely, they become responsible for what is essentially a state-sanctioned drug cartel.
A native of Huntsville, Dr. Michael Brown is a retired gastroenterologist with a medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Gastroenterology. He has continued his research and his work as a GI Hospitalist.The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect his 1819 news policies and positions. not. To comment, send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
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