A little over a month ago, Wisconsin’s lawmakers voted on a bill that would allow patients with specific conditions to possess and use CBD oil with a physician’s recommendation. At the time there was only one vote against it out of both chambers – which was a big deal after prior legislation a couple years back had been significantly voted against. The bill was then sent over to Governor Scott Walker, who has just finally signed the bill into law this week, making it official that CBD oil is legal for patients to use in Wisconsin.
“Today, we’re making it easier for people in our state to obtain CBD oil without a psychoactive effect to treat a medical condition as advised by their doctor,” Walker said in a statement.
Unfortunately, there are a few downsides to this particular law; the biggest one being a lack of in-state production and dispensing of the oil. The bill did not create any means for licensing cultivation facilities, processing companies or dispensaries – meaning it creates no legal access to the medicine patients so desperately need. It also doesn’t specify where patients are expected to obtain the oil – whereas some states with similar legislation in place have at least made a suggestion (such as nearby states), even when that suggestion is to break federal law and cross state lines with the cannabis oil.
Parents with children suffering from seizure conditions may be able to rest easy about what would happen if they were discovered to have CBD oil – but this bill really doesn’t make as much of a difference as lawmakers would like to think. Until there is a safe and legal way for patients to access the cannabis oil there will still be the question of how they are supposed to get the medicine once a physician finally gives them the go-ahead for treatment.
In states with CBD laws like this the only option is to get it illegally, either from someone in state on the illegal market or from a state that will accept out of state medical marijuana registration cards. This doesn’t save parents from having to be criminals just to medicate their children – it only provides protection once they are already in possession of the medicine and that’s just not enough.
While it is a great thing to see lawmakers nearly unanimously make the decision to go against allow patients suffering from seizure conditions to use CBD oil, it is honestly not doing enough to really help these patients.
