Medical marijuana has been a difficult issue for parents in many states. For those with children who suffer from medical conditions such as autism or seizures, there is anecdotal evidence that such children can be helped by the active ingredients in marijuana.

States like Missouri passed laws that permit the use of cannabidiol (CBD). The CBD drugs have been decriminalized by these laws because they are low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary chemical component of the “high” users experience when smoking or ingesting marijuana.

The problem with these laws is that they do nothing well. Because they often do not permit the growing and refining of the CBD in the state, those who want to use the drug must obtain it out of state and by transporting it, place themselves at risk of arrest for nominally violating other state or federal drug laws.

They also restrict so narrowly the amount of concentration of CBD that the dose may not be effective. They also severely limit the medical conditions for those who can take the CBD, with one state limiting it to a single disease.

In Missouri, only 37 people have registered to obtain the by March of this year, and that is limited to those with intractable epilepsy.

Doctors, too, are unhappy, as the lack of formal research means many cannot prescribe CBD because their insurers would prohibit their prescribing a drug with no studies showing safe dosages or potential risks.

While law enforcement at the federal and state level has not gone after CBD parents or other users, many are uneasy, knowing that there is nothing that stops their potential prosecution. If a determined prosecutor targeted them, they could face criminal charges, the cost of a defending a criminal action and the prospect of losing their children.

Source: nbc.com, “‘No-Buzz’ Medical Pot Laws Prove Problematic for Patients, Lawmakers,” Mike Brunker, April 23, 2016