MONTPELIER — A report on the medical cannabis program in Vermont required under Act 65 is being shaped by various stakeholders.
James Pepper, chairman of the Cannabis Control Board, said the report will need to discuss “structural challenges being faced in the medical program with declining enrollment, and the squeezing of products and services available on the medical side.”
Input for the report will come from the University of Vermont, owners of dispensaries, patients and caregivers. Required are at least four meetings.
Pepper said the first meeting in August was “really just [about] level setting.”
“We had an open dialogue about what we envision for the program,” he said.
The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 28. Topics will include illnesses most treated by cannabis, commonalities with medical cannabis programs in other states, processes for qualifying conditions and best practices for ingestion methods for certain kinds of conditions.
“Long time cannabis users don’t need advice on what’s good for what,” Pepper said. “They know. Really, I’m focused here on communicating treatment protocols for first time treatment.”
Someone with a qualifying condition for medical cannabis might want to talk with a health care professional instead of a budtender, Pepper said. Jessilyn Dolan, a nurse who runs a hotline, is expected to share information.
People can call Dolan any time and talk with her privately about how to approach consuming cannabis for the first time, Pepper said. He noted the program isn’t run by the state or endorsed by the board.
“I think it’s helpful to establish on the record what she’s doing, what types of people are calling, what she’s saying,” Pepper said.
Pepper called Washington, D.C. “very much an outlier” as people can self-certify, walk into a dispensary and buy medical cannabis. He’s aware of a number of ways in which states can add in qualifying conditions.
Representatives from the medical cannabis certification program at UVM are anticipated to speak about the program, the science and chemical makeup of cannabis, and what’s happening the cannabis world.
A third meeting is slated to focus on the doses of cannabis to be considered for treatment. The report is due by Jan. 15.
“There is no consensus when it comes to cannabis,” Pepper said. “The [Vermont] Medical Society, through no fault of their own, says this is a Schedule 1 drug, meaning there is no acceptable medical use of cannabis.”
Pepper said he believes cannabis can offer therapeutic effects. He’s not alone, as he counts about 38 states allowing medical use of the drug.
President Biden asked the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to review the scheduling of cannabis recently, resulting in a recommendation that it should be Schedule 3. That designation would mean there are accepted medical uses of the drug, Pepper said.
“There are widely over the counter products that are Schedule 3 so that would be a big change,” he said. “That isn’t done now.”
Pepper said the recommendation needs to go to the Drug Enforcement Agency for an evaluation then the attorney general before going through a formal rulemaking process.
Brynn Hare, executive director at the CCB, said at a Q&A in June that H.270 — not yet signed by Gov. Phil Scott — is expected to reduce the cost and administrative burden on patients and caregivers in the medical program.
Eliminated by the bill is a requirement that patients with post traumatic stress disorder must be in psychotherapy to qualify for the program. Background checks would be conducted by CCB staff rather than the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Caregivers would go from being able to have two mature and seven immature plants to six mature and 12 immature plants. Each caregiver would be able to serve as many as two patients at a time rather than just one.
Hare said the bill extends the expiration date for most medical cards to be good for three years. Before, licenses needed to be renewed each year.
Another change will allow the CCB to improve consumer protection in the medical program, Hare said. That will involve testing and training standards for employees.