As the Iowa State Legislature continues to debate the medical uses of marijuana in this session, people from around the state who can benefit from its use are telling their stories in hopes of getting through to the state’s leaders. Carroll County critical care paramedics, Bill Fish and Denise Meyer recently discussed the issue at a legislative forum. Fish said he has a problem with the state putting limits on the medical diagnoses for which the oil could be prescribed.
Fish added, the legislators got it right a couple of years ago and then tied everyone’s hands by saying it had to be manufactured in Iowa before it could be sold here. But, it can’t be manufactured in Iowa, so it is a catch-22. Meyer spoke directly to Senator Mark Segebart, bringing her daughter, Kristin Rohrbeck, with her as living proof of what the drug can do.
Rohrbeck, who was born with an unidentified seizure disorder, has been in a study group for a year and is now on the legitimate hemp oil that is being shipped into Iowa by the Federal government, Meyer said. She produced calendars that tracked Rohrbeck’s seizures over several months, showing Segebart the difference the oil has made.
As of Dec. 31 of this year, Rohrbeck will be done getting the oil legally in the state. Meyer said she needs Segebart to share this with the other Senators. She needs their support.
The only stumbling block seems to be the stigma associated with the word marijuana, Meyer said, but her daughter’s blood is tested every two weeks and there has never been any trace of THC in her system. Sure, she added, there may be side effects for some, but the only ones they have seen are positive. If the state doesn’t pass this legislation, Meyer and her family are left with little choice but to go where she can get the medication. As a parent, she said, I can’t let Kristin go back to hundreds and hundreds of seizures every month.
