This article was originally published on the Marijuana Patients Organization site on September 11, 2014.
Many drugs that could provide effective treatments for terminally ill patients take years to be approved. Senator Pappageorge recently introduced legislation that would allow patients with an advanced illness access to these experimental drugs to include marijuana.
Senate Bill 991 creates the “Right to Try Act,” which would let patients use investigational drugs, biological products or devices that have not yet been approved for general use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To be eligible for new treatments and medicine, a patient must have:
An advanced illness attested to by the treating physician;
Considered all other available treatment options;
Received a recommendation from their physician to try an investigational drug, biological product or device;
Given written informed consent; and
Documentation from their physician that the patient meets all the requirements.
The legislation has been passed by the Senate and referred to the House Health Policy Committee. Senator Pappageorge’s has been a champion for cannabis legalization and a hero for the residents of Michigan.