RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolinians with severe epilepsy may soon able to use an extract made from a marijuana plant to treat their disease, as a bill legalizing the treatment heads to Gov. Pat McCrory for his signature. The bill was approved by both chambers of the General Assembly Thursday. It was approved by the Senate in the morning and the House just hours after. McCrory said Thursday that he will sign the bill into law. The oil will be legal for North Carolinians with epilepsy who have not responded to at least three treatments and are under the care of a neurologist. If McCrory signs it, the bill will be law as soon as a state registry and other regulations can be established. Lawmakers say the hemp oil, which is made into syrup and taken by a patient, would not make anyone high. The oil is taken in a dropper and absorbed in the mouth. "This is not a psychoactive drug. That is taken out. But it does have something in it that will help these folks," said Sen. Thom Goolsby, R-New Hanover. Bea VanEvery said the oil has reduced seizures in her granddaughter by 70 to 80 percent. … Continue reading →

"Obviously some members support it, but the vast majority of members in our caucus believe the states should not be in the business of deciding what is or is not medicine. That's what the FDA can and does do," said Steve Miskin, spokesman for House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny). Gov. Corbett is expected to veto any marijuana legalization bill that is broader than his proposal for a pilot study of the use of cannabis (CBD) oil to treat children with epilepsy. "The governor remains opposed to legalization of marijuana for recreational or medicinal purposes beyond the scope of the CBD oil of his research pilot proposal," said Corbett spokesman Jay Pagni. Sen. Chuck McIlhinney (R., Bucks), chairman of the law and justice committee, asked his members on Friday after the vote to "say a prayer" that it is passed into law. "The individuals who will be helped most by this sort of treatment are some of the state's most vulnerable residents, including children who suffer from debilitating seizures who have exhausted all other treatment options," McIlhinney said. "Despite many prejudices surrounding this issue, the use of medical cannabis offers tremendous potential as a safe and effective treatment for … Continue reading →

He was expected to expire three months ago. But Rilwan Omosun is still alive, waiting to die from years of congestive heart failure, kidney disease and stroke that paralysed him. Doctors at North West Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, concluded that he had one year to live. That was March 1, 2013. This week, Rilwan Omosun, former editor of Evening Times, received a pacemaker, inserted into his heart to help regulate his heartbeat. He wrote, Jebose, the pacemaker would assist with regular heart beat. I have no strength and breathing is a problem. I have shortness of breath. I go for dialysis treatment on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The treatment exercise leaves me very weak and pale. I am always tired. Everyday, I struggle with pain; engaging in the simplest daily chores such as using the bathroom, is a huge task for me. I dont have regular assistance. Its difficult to pull from bed, drag into my wheel chair, roll to the kitchen and prepare a meal. My brother, nobody deserves to live this miserably and in pain. I cant afford to miss any day for dialysis treatment. If I did, the fluids would build up in my lungs and breathing … Continue reading →