Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker gave final approval to a bill that legalizes cannabis-derived CBD oil for children and adults suffering from severe seizure disorders. Sort of.
Patients don’t actually get any access to the oil that many have found relief from using until doctors petition the feds for access. Read on for more.
According to the language approved, the bill doesn’t legalize the production of CBD oil or the cultivation of cannabis. Instead, it allows doctors (with the help of the state “substances board”) to request an investigational drug permit from the federal food and drug administration. If a physician gets approval, the state will figure out which pharmacies and doctors can dispense it.
The federal government considers CBD oil to be just another part of the illegal cannabis plant, so pharmacies in the state won’t just be carrying it. Basically, it’s going to be a long haul before anyone sees any legal CBD oil in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin isn’t alone in this move. Utah passed a similar, limited, CBD bill earlier this year and Georgia lawmakers seriously considered it – only to be blocked by partisan posturing.
Missouri is also considering CBD legislation.