After passing the Kentucky General Assembly with unanimous support, a new law that would permit state public universities to research and prescribe medical cannabis oil is hitting a rough patch.
Karen Skjei is an assistant professor at U of L and director of Kosair Children’s Hospital’s pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit.
She says the new law doesn’t provide any groundwork for getting the oil into the hands of patients, and the university is currently seeking grants to fund clinical trials to study and administer the drug.
“It’s not available anywhere in the state. You can’t bring it in across state lines. So at this point there’s no way for patients to get it,” said Skjei.
Lawmakers passed the bill this year in response to moving testimony from parents with epileptic children, which the drug is believed to treat.
Skjei says she doesn’t know when the drug will be available to patients.
