JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Bills allowing terminal patients expanded access to experimental drugs and make hemp oil available to certain epileptics both got signatures from Gov. Jay Nixon today. The Democratic governor also vetoed a bill that would have changed the way electronic cigarettes are regulated.
Senate Bill 841, apart from making 18 the minimum age to buy electronic cigarettes, also would have exempted “e-cigs” from being “otherwise taxed and regulated as tobacco products.”
“This bill appears to be nothing more than a thinly disguised and cynical attempt to exempt e-cigarettes from taxes and regulations protecting public health,” Nixon said in his press release. “The FDA is already moving forward to ban the sale of these products to minors. Until more is known about the health effects of these products, letting tobacco companies off the hook with special loopholes would pose a real threat to Missourians’ health now and in the future.”
But supporters of the bill say that it meets other FDA rulings and that without the bill, minors will still be able to purchase e-cigarettes legally in Missouri.
“The Governor’s actions today do nothing other than ensure e-cigarettes will continue to be readily available to minors,” said Rep. Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican who carried a version of the bill in the House. “This bill directly mirrors the latest ruling passed down from the FDA, and lays a strong foundation that says Missouri is serious about protecting our minors. Once again, Jay Nixon has let personal and political motivations stand in the way of good policy, and Missouri’s minors will suffer as a result. I look forward to speaking with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and working to ensure good policy trumps petty politics.”
Nixon also signed two bills. House Bill 2238 allows for the use of a certain kind of oil extracted from hemp plants — known as Cannabidiol or CBD — by patients with intractable epilepsy. The bill tasks the state Department of Agriculture to grow and regulate the plant.
“This legislation offers new hope for thousands of children living with epilepsy and their families,” Sen. Eric Schmitt said. Schmitt sponsored the bill in the Senate and has a son who suffers from epilepsy. “As a parent of a child living with epilepsy, I understand all too well the challenges that these families face every day. CBD oil has shown to have positive results in reducing the number of seizures. It has the potential to improve the lives of countless children and families in our state. I want to thank Rep. Caleb Jones and my colleagues for their unwavering support in getting this legislation approved, and offer my gratitude to the governor for recognizing its importance and his continued support of individuals with disabilities.”
House Bill 1685 also got a gubernatorial signature. The bill is aimed at expanding access to otherwise-unavailable treatments to patients with terminal illnesses. Under current law, even terminally ill patients have strictly limited access to experimental drugs or treatments. The bill would allow manufacturers of experimental drugs or products to more easily provide them to terminal patients.
Rep. Jim Neely, a physician and sponsor of HB 1685, says the bill puts Missouri on the cutting edge of expanding access to medical treatments.
“We’d have been the first state to pass something like this if it was signed right at the end of session,” Neely told The Missouri Times. “Since then I believe two other states have done it – I know it’s on the ballot in Arizona, and I’ve spoken with some legislators in other states who want to get this offered. We’re going to have a lot of doctors and patients and families very happy that we’ve done this.”
Neely said he wasn’t aware of a single individual or group that spoke against the bill. It also passed unanimously on its final vote in both chambers.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
