Doctors should be able to prescribe a
pair of cannabis compounds and agencies around the state should better
share statistics to track the heroin epidemic, according to
recommendations made Tuesday by Virginia’s Joint Commission on Health
Care.
Staff for the
committee, which is made up of legislators from the state Senate and
House of Delegates, received more than 750 comments from the public —
both individuals and organizations — regarding its presentation on the
therapeutic and detrimental effects of THC-A and CBD oils, both cannabis
compounds that don’t produce the high associated with marijuana. A
staff report stated that there is limited research to support the use of
THC-A or CBD to treat a wide variety of medical conditions, though
there is strong evidence that it helps with symptoms of multiple
sclerosis.
Sen. Siobhan S.
Dunnavant, R-Henrico, suggested the committee propose that the General
Assembly introduce legislation to allow physicians to recommend the use
of THC-A or CBD oils for any condition that they think might benefit
from them.
“I
think the idea here is that this is a therapeutic modality that may
really be valuable for some of our citizens,” Dunnavant said. “We’re not
going to let this be an abusive situation, but let’s not negate the
opportunity for it to be a therapeutic option.”
Dunnavant’s suggestion passed through the rest of the committee.
The
committee also considered staffing requirements for assisted living
facilities. Currently, Virginia code requires that those facilities have
a staff that is adequate to meet the needs of residents, but it does
not have a required minimum staff-to-resident ratio for those
facilities.
The staff’s presentation
identified needs that some assisted living facilities have, particularly
those that accept auxiliary grants, a state grant program that pays for
room and board for individuals who meet certain income criteria. The
grants are necessary because neither Medicare nor Medicaid pay for those
costs, and without them assisted living would be available only for
those who can pay privately.
The
committee decided Tuesday to recommend that the General Assembly
increase the auxiliary grant rate — which is currently only $1,220, and
covers only 28 percent of what Genworth Financial estimates the monthly
cost of a resident will be in 2019 — to an amount to be determined. It
also urged the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to direct the
Department of Social Services to look into enhancing data reporting
capabilities on inspection results and violations.
The
increase in heroin use in Virginia was also a topic of conversation for
the committee, which voted to recommend that the General Assembly
require all state and local agencies, including law enforcement and
Community Services Boards, among others, share their data on the use of
heroin in the state. The staff report especially highlighted a lack of
coordinated data on naloxone use in the state, which the suggestion
could help remedy.
The
committee avoided a vote on recommending that the Department of Health
or the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services study
the feasibility of “safe-injection” sites — more commonly called needle
exchanges — for the use of heroin and other drugs, which could help stem
the spread of HIV and hepatitis C among drug users.
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