Florida officially made medical marijuana legal yesterday—and the law is already benefitting students with medical needs in the state.
The drug, a Schedule I controlled substance, has been in the news and debated on for months. It is already legal in 27 states and D.C, according to the non-profit charity procon.org.
Medical marijuana has been advocated for by cancer patients as it allegedly can be used to better manage side effects of chemotherapy. The American Cancer Society said it may be used to treat nausea and vomiting caused by cancer treatment.
But its medicinal use surpasses the cancer industry. Procon.org suggests the drug can be used for epilepsy, HIV, Parkinson's, and PTSD, among other conditions.
University of Tampa junior Derrick Simms has been dealing with epilepsy since his diagnosis at the age of 12. He said his symptoms were inconsistent until he was 17, at which point he was involved in a serious car accident after having a seizure while driving.
Since the time he was 17, Simms said his condition has continued to worsen. He is currently taking three medications to manage his symptoms, but said they are not without considerable side effects, which include nausea, dizziness, and numbness throughout the body.
These side effects have piqued his interest in trying medical marijuana. "I'm nervous. I've actually never smoked weed before in my life so this will be an interesting experience," Simms said.
The process of obtaining medical marijuana is lengthy and strict, he said. "I was recently cleared by one [neurologist] in Florida, but [I] have to be cleared by another doctor above her, along with a third doctor from my home state," Simms added.
Before he can receive clearance from the second doctor, however, he must undergo a variety of brain tests, which interfere with his education (as they can take up to a couple days).
The seizures Simms experiences can highly interfere with his education. "After having a seizure my memory is completely gone—unless it is something that is implanted in my mind, like my name and date of birth," said Simms. "For example, if I just spent an hour studying and have a seizure upon completion, I have no recollection of what I just learned."
Medical marijuana was on Florida's ballot as a state amendment during the last election cycle, and took an approval lead of 71% on Nov. 8, 2015, according to the Miami Herald.
The state now has 6 months to create regulations and possession limits, according to floridahealth.gov. In nine months, the state will begin to give out identification cards to those who can legally possess the drug.
The American Cancer Society said so far there are two marijuana-based compound medicines approved for use by the FDA in the U.S. More studies are being conducted to learn exactly how the drug works in medical treatments such as cancer.
