Sen. Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa, told the House State Affairs Committee this morning that he put SB 1146a together “to provide hope to some Idaho families with children suffering from intractable epilepsy.” He told of watching a video of a young child suffering severe, life-threatening seizures. “It’s just very hard to watch a youngster suffer like that,” McKenzie said. CBD oil, or cannabidiol oil, contains only trace amounts of THC, the ingredient in marijuana that creates a high. “Fourteen Republican states have rejected medical marijuana, but passed CBD oil bills,” McKenzie told the committee. “It really is something you cannot get high off of. It doesn’t have any of those properties.”

He said, “It really has little likelihood of abuse but can help these kids.” But McKenzie said when he first proposed the bill, he encountered “extreme fear.” Among concerns brought to him: “We’d have to spend millions to replace every drug dog in Idaho. … The drug cartels would use parents of epileptic children as drug mules. These are all actual examples that were given to me,” he said. “Currently over three-quarters of the states in the union already have this or more. … I don’t think it’s going to significantly change law enforcement. I think our law enforcement is just as capable as law enforcement in those states.”

Elisha Figueroa, head of Idaho’s Office of Drug Policy, told the committee the stories of the children’s suffering are “heart-wrenching,” but said Idaho needs to protect “public safety.” “This is not a mere supplement that we’re talking about,” she said. “This is not the hemp oil you can go buy at the Co-op. This is marijuana. It’s a Schedule 1 drug, and Idaho will be violating federal law if this passes.” She said the Idaho State Police estimates it would take $600,000 to $1.2 million to make changes in its lab if the bill passes.

Figueroa said the bill doesn’t contain enough regulations, and could be “easily manipulated or bypassed by those with intent to engage in illegal activity. … Unfortunately we have a very real criminal element in this state that will be looking for a shield to disguise their illegal activity. … We have no faith that the illegal drug industry will attempt to label their products accurately.” She added, "This does open the door for further legalization efforts in this state. This is where most states start right now. ... Once the doors open incrementally, they will widen it and widen it.”

Figueroa said there’s a better way for the families involved to get help, through an FDA trial in Idaho of a related British-made drug; SB 1156, authorizing the FDA trial, passed the Senate unanimously and is awaiting a House committee hearing.