Suspended Little Rock physician allowed to return to work

Abortion provider had prescribed pot for girl

A Little Rock abortion doctor whose medical license was suspended in August after he certified a 12-year-old to receive medical marijuana will be allowed to resume most of his practice for the time being, the state Medical Board decided Thursday.

The doctor, Tom Tvedten, defended his actions, saying that he had received permission from the patient's mother, who was concerned about other "psychoactive" drugs prescribed to her daughter for post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The reason the patient came to me was that the mother had read somewhere that maybe cannabis products, medical, might be able to help her child," Tvedten said.

Tvedten offered to settle the case with an agreement that he would no longer certify minor patients to receive a medical-marijuana card.

The constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana in 2016 permitted minors to receive marijuana cards with the consent of an adult guardian. Lawmakers later passed a law prohibiting anyone under age 21 from smoking the drug.

In a unanimous vote, however, the board rejected Tvedten's proposed agreement, with several board members expressing serious concerns about Tvedten's evaluation of the girl.

"Regardless of your bravado, I'm pretty surprised that you would have the fortitude to take a look at that list of psychiatric medications, disregard the opinion of two pediatric board-certified psychiatrists and administer a cookbook, checkbox, baloney test to demonstrate a diagnosis," said board member Brian Hyatt.

Hyatt and several other board members suggested that they preferred Tvedten be barred from certifying any additional patients -- whether minors or adults -- to receive medical marijuana.

After the board rejected Tvedten's offer, his attorney asked for a continuance until a full hearing can be held in early December, which the board agreed to.

In the meantime, Tvedten may resume practicing medicine, including performing abortions, but may not certify any more patients for medical marijuana, the board said.

Zac White, Tvedten's attorney, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Tvedten is more well known for performing abortions at Little Rock Family Planning Clinic, which is the only abortion clinic currently operating in Arkansas.

Last month, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge made note of Tvedten's temporary license suspension, referring to it in a legal filing by her office seeking to overturn a federal injunction against three abortion laws that Tvedten had sued to block.

Because Tvedten was not allowed to perform abortions without a license, Rutledge argued he lacked standing to pursue the case. In response, attorneys for the clinic said another board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist had agreed to continue performing abortions in his place.

Information for this article was contributed by Linda Satter of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Upcoming Events