It’s been five years since the Iowa Senate legalized the use of cannabidiol by a 36-12 vote April 24, 2014, however, it may be a number of years before it will be prescribed by practitioners at Greater Regional Health.
“But if a patient already has that, we have a methodology in place to let them continue to use that while they are in the hospital,” said Dr. Steven Reeves.
Reeves said GRH has cannabidiol, more commonly referred to as CBD, and a policy in place for use and security at the hospital.
During last month’s hospital board meeting, Reeves was asked if he foresees if and when GRH practitioners will be permitted to prescribe CBD.
“Yes I do,” Reeves said. “To predict that is tough, but I would anticipate where it would come on to a formulary and who knows if that will be two years, five years, 10 years.”
Reeves said the medical community has far more control studies to conduct in terms of its efficacy and its use for a variety of conditions.
Cannabidiol is most commonly used for seizure disorders such as epilepsy, to treat anxiety, pain, a muscle disorder called dystonia, Parkinson disease and Crohn's disease. However, Reeves said, with conditions such as Parkinson's, there is not enough scientific evidence to support its efficacy.
“At the moment it’s efficacious in pediatric seizures. We know its efficacious there. Beyond that, there’s just self reports,” he said.
Greater Regional Health CEO Monte Nietzel noted that former GRH physician Robert R. Shreck – who specializes in oncology and hematology – and Dr. Lonny Miller – who practices family medicine in Creston and currently serves on the Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Advisory Board – are both proponents of its use under a physician’s care and are advisors to legislators at the state level.
“I think we have some experts as far as keeping up to date on issues as it relates to things that impact patient care,” said Neitzel.
Reeves said at this point, for CBD prescriptions to come from GRH practitioners, there are just too many “unknowns.”
“Probably the single biggest unknown, there are no controlled studies looking at the use of CBD oil as applies to specific disorders. That’s what we sorely need,” he said.