Medical marijuana offered promise of relief. But not for him.
William Pittman enjoys a spring afternoon in the wooded property of his home in Columbia, Miss., on March 14, 2022. Pittman hopes the limited scope of use and practice in Mississippi for newly legalised medical marijuana will be expanded. Sarah Warnock/MCIR
By Julie Whitehead
Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting
William Pittman eagerly lent his signature to legalize medical marijuana, something his psychiatrist thought could help treat his borderline personality disorder, binge eating disorder and ADHD.
But even as he signed his name, “I told my husband, ‘You know I’m going to get screwed out of this. Some way, somehow, I’m not going to get any.’ ”
He was right.
He didn’t trust the state to follow through with the promise of the proposed constitutional amendment — to make medical cannabis available to whoever needed it as deemed appropriate by patients and their doctors.
“I thought it was rather typical of our state Legislature that they removed the bill that Mississippi voted on where a doctor could prescribe for whatever they deemed necessary.” Pittman said.
His cynicism seems to be echoed by state officials who wanted a medical cannabis bill but were unhappy with the compromises the lawmakers made to get the votes needed for the bill after the Mississippi Supreme Court struck down the initiative and the state’s ballot referendum process in May 2021.
Shea Dobson, former mayor of Ocean Springs and early proponent of medical cannabis, didn’t mince words.
Former Ocean Springs Shea Dobson is executive director of Citizens' Alliance of Mississippi, a pro-medical cannabis organization. Courtesy of Shea Dobson
“The further we got from Initiative 65, the less I supported it,” he said.
Dobson is now the executive director of Citizens’ Alliance of Mississippi, a pro-medical cannabis organization.
The law as adopted by the Legislature this session allows use of medical cannabis for debilitating medical conditions including cancer, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, muscular dystrophy, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, ALS, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, sickle-cell anemia, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, cachexia or wasting syndrome, chronic pain, severe or intractable nausea, seizures, severe and persistent muscle spasms.
State Rep. Janson Owen, R-Poplarville, said he voted against the final conference report that eventually became law because he did not support the excise taxes levied in the bill on growers, which he said would be passed on to the patients who needed the program the most.
“If this is a medical marijuana program and we are wanting people that need it to get it, then why are we sin-taxing people?” Owen asked.
Other legislators called about their votes did not return calls. Gov. Tate Reeves’ press office did not return repeated calls for comment. Reeves penned a Facebook post after signing the bill in February, saying it was not what he had wanted to sign but recognized it was a compromise he could live with.
How can marijuana help?
Medical cannabis is legal in some form throughout much of the United States, but only a handful of states allow its use for the specific mental-related conditions of Alzheimer’s disease, PTSD and anorexia (this, specifically because it stimulates the appetite).
Studies vary on whether cannabis is effective in aiding those with mental health conditions to lead a normal life. A 2018 American Psychiatric Association article noted new studies are seeking to deliver a better understanding of how cannabis may help reduce pain, PTSD and anxiety.
The MIND program at McLean Hospital’s Brain Imaging Center in Boston has conducted a number of studies on patients using cannabis for medical purposes, looking at the impact on their cognitive performance over time, starting before use and following them at three- and six-month intervals for up to two years, according to the article. These studies found patients, who used cannabis to treat a range of medical problems including anxiety, had largely improved cognitive performance, reduced clinical symptoms and anxiety-related symptoms as well as a reduced use of conventional medications, including opioids, benzodiazepines, and other mood stabilizers and antidepressants.
A 2020 article in BMC Psychiatry concluded it is premature to recommend cannabinoid-based interventions but that isolated positive studies have revealed tentative support for their use to reduce social anxiety, with mixed but mainly positive evidence for adjunctive use in schizophrenia.
“Mental health conditions figure prominently among the reasons given for medical marijuana use, yet there are few rigorous, experimentally controlled studies examining the effects of marijuana on mental health conditions,” a June 17 study by the University of Washington noted.
In an October 2015 National Institute of Health study of various literature on using cannabis for mental health symptoms, evidence demonstrated its efficacy in reducing anxiety behaviors relevant to multiple disorders, including PTSD (one of the disorders on Mississippi’s list), generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and seasonal affective disorder. Human experimental findings supported this and suggest minimal sedative effects and an excellent safety profile. “Overall, this review emphasizes the potential value and need for further study . . . in the treatment of anxiety disorders,” the study concluded.
For now, the Mississippi Psychiatric Association is not endorsing its use.
“Due to the non-regulation of cannabis by the FDA and physicians adhering to prescribing only FDA-regulated medications, MPA does not have any data to show a benefit from medical cannabis for psychiatric disorders,” Angela Ladner, executive director of the sssociation, said in a statement.
The law’s restrictions
Pittman said none of his diagnoses is one of 28 medical conditions listed on the Mississippi Department of Health website that qualifies for the medical cannabis program, so he does not plan to apply for a card when the mechanism is set up.
According to the law, by June 2, the Health Department will create rules and regulations that govern all license types, except dispensaries. These regulations will include packaging, security and applicant requirements. The Department of Revenue will be putting forth similar requirements for dispensaries by July 2. Both departments have to issue their respective licenses after 30 days of receiving an application.
Municipalities and counties have until May 3 to announce and vote if they want to opt out of having any cannabis-related businesses such as cultivation, processing, dispensary, transportation, disposal, testing and research. After May 3, any municipality that has not opted out is opted in by default.
City leaders in Brandon, Ridgeland, Gluckstadt and Pass Christian have already voted to opt out. Patients in those cities can still possess medical cannabis, but the cities won’t allow dispensaries or cultivators.
Pittman takes Topomax, Buspar, Trazodone, and Adderall and said he experiences side effects of these medications and can work only sporadically as a data journalist. He is not on Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income so is not eligible for Medicaid or Medicare for his drugs.
William Pittman said his psychiatrists thought medical marijuana could help treat his conditions, but Mississippi's new law won't allow that. Sarah Warnock/MCIR
He does have insurance, but it won’t pay for Vyvanse, which is the most effective drug for his particular symptoms of ADHD, but also can cause such side effects as nausea, vomiting, constipation stomach/abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nervousness and irritability.
“They won’t cover Vyvanse for adults,” he said of his insurance carrier.
According to drugs.com, the cost for Vyvanse oral capsule 10 mg is around $1,234 for a supply of 100 capsules, depending on the pharmacy you visit. Prices are for cash paying customers only and are not valid with insurance plans.
If Pittman did qualify for medical cannabis in the future, the act limits how much product a person can have. With a card, a patient can buy six units of 3.5 grams per week and no more than 24 units of 3.5 grams per month -- roughly 3 ounces.
Physicians, certified nurse practitioners, physician assistants and optometrists are allowed to certify patients with debilitating conditions. Patients between the ages of 18 and 25 will need certifications from two practitioners, one of whom is a physician or a doctor of osteopathic medicine. For those under 18, certifications can only be written by physicians or doctors of osteopathic medicine and with consent from a parent or guardian.
Pittman has used marijuana in the past as a way to lessen his anxiety, volatility and anger. “A lot of times my mind would be racing, and I would smoke a little to take the edge off and then I could actually focus on one thing,” Pittman said.
“Because it’s never been legal, it’s never been easy to acquire — nor affordable,” Pittman said.
He does not use at this point because of those difficulties, he said. When he did use, he would smoke it.
Under Mississippi’s law, edibles, tinctures, topicals, and smoked products could be sold only through licensed dispensaries of cannabis, who could only sell products that have been grown, processed, and tested in Mississippi. Mississippi’s bill also regulates the levels of psychoactive chemicals that can be present.
Even with the multiplicity of restrictions, Dobson said that the final result was a step forward for the sickest patients, including those who suffer from mental health ailments.
“I’m a big believer in getting government out of healthcare and in empowering the doctors and the people,” Dobson noted.
“Ultimately my main goal was for people to be able to get medicine without going to prison,” Dobson said.
This story was produced by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization that seeks to inform, educate and empower Mississippians in their communities through the use of investigative journalism. Sign up for our newsletter.
Email Julie Whitehead at julie.whitehead.mcir@gmail.com.