Iowa’s cannabis oil laws need more options

By: Scott Miller

A 14-year-old girl collapses on the hallway floor, her eyes roll to the back of her head, her body starts thrashing about. Her head hits the floor as the teacher runs over to protect her head from hitting the ground again. Everyone in the hall stops and stares, and there is nothing they can do to stop it. But in a neighboring state, another child diagnosed with epilepsy is not experiencing the seizures because he lives in a state that permits the uses of medicinal cannabis.

Cannabis essential oil is a green liquid that is considered highly volatile, and its component parts are very powerful, including monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and other highly active organic compounds. Mainly it is distributed from France and other European countries.

Cannabis oil has so many health benefits, such as helping with anxiety, stress, sleep issues, appetite, pain relief, cancer prevention, heart health, skin protection, glaucoma, headaches, migraines and epilepsy.

Cannabis is different than just smoking weed. Medicinal cannabis has 0 THC, which is the hallucinogenic part of the drug. Cannabinoids are different chemical compounds for different issues.

There are over 100 different cannabinoids being discovered. CBD, which is a cannabinoid, is by far the most used.

Kendall Maslak, a 14-year-old girl who goes to school at Holmes Junior High who had her first seizure at 17 months old, has tried upward of 10 medications, seen eight doctors and had two brain surgeries, and it all could have been, for the most part, avoided.

Maslak’s father, Ed, is vice chairman of the greater Chicago Community Council for the epilepsy foundation of Iowa. He said, “Unlike other man-made medicine, it’s very natural. It doesn’t have nasty side effects like others, such as weight gain and weight loss.”

Ed and Fadua’s daughter Kendall hasn’t had a seizure in a long while, but they have no idea how long this seizure-free streak will last.

The Maslaks’ have tried to push for changes to the law. They have been to many of the presidential candidate conferences. Iowa’s current medicinal cannabis laws basically say that you can get a license to have medicinal cannabis, but there is no way to access it in Iowa because it is illegal to bring it across state lines.

Regarding which candidate they have heard speak with the highest chance of legalizing medicinal marijuana, Ed’s response was to the point. “Clinton. Republicans have been for the most part against it. Chris Christie doesn’t want to make it a federal issue due to it being a schedule 1, which means it’s looked upon like heroin is. It is tough to do research due to it being a Schedule 1.”

The Maslaks have jumped through many hoops to bring awareness to cannabis oil, and they know they are not alone, but they are hoping others will join them in their quest for changing Iowa’s restrictions limiting the use of these potentially life-saving medicine.