Medical Marijuana

Marijuana Refugees: Changing States to Save Their Kids, Source: http://www.njarch.org/images/j0400736.jpgSome families are relocating to Colorado (soon, perhaps, to Washington as well) to give their children a fighting chance and a healthy life. Two such families out of St. Louis, MO, were the subject of a recent article.

The Brunos and the Jessees, both natives of St. Louis, chose to trek 850 miles across the nation to Colorado simply to gain access to the same Charlotte’s Web CBD oil that is named after and dramtically helped young Charlotte Figi combat the hundreds of weekly seizures that wracked her tiny body.

Both the Brunos and Jessees have young ones with severe epiliepsy and after many failed conventional treatments, were desperate enough to consider cannabis.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Jaime Bruno said. “There’s nothing worse than seeing your perfect little baby have seizures.” Every seizure caused trauma to her brain and stunted her development. A hospital room became as familiar as the family living room. “Well from there it was just a series of different medications that we tried,” explained Frank Bruno. “Nothing worked.” Then, after doing months of research the Bruno family learned about a strain of marijuana that has been helping other kids with intractable seizures. It’s called Charlotte’s Web, and it has very high levels of cannabidiol or CBD and very low levels of THC, the psycho-active ingredient found in recreational marijuana.”

Marijuana Refugees: Changing States to Save Their Kids, Source: http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/4b212544e6fe8e347b407af80617b3c9da819aeb/c=8-0-1916-1079&r=x1803&c=3200x1800/local/-/media/KSDK/KSDK/2014/07/13/1405306299000-MEDICAL-WEED.jpg

The Bruno Family

The Jessees, after trying 14 medications that did nothing to help their child, were told by their doctor to re-try one of the failed treatments again. That shows the limitations of conventional medicine. If it didn’t work, why would you introduce those chemicals back into an already traumatized system? I don’t mean to vilify the doctor, they are only operating with what the state laws allow and the limitations of a lack of true scientific exploration (which is squarely the fault of the government).

Marijuana Refugees: Changing States to Save Their Kids, Source: http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/jessee.family.photo.565x300.jpeg

The Jessee Family

How are the young ones faring in Colorado? The Brunos, who now refer to the oil as the “marijuana miracle,” say their child has gone 24 days without a seizure, which is amazing considering that previously, they had never gone even 24 hours without an occurance. And the Jessees? After only 2 months on Charlotte’s Web, they mark a reduction in seizures from 40-50 per day to fewer than 5.

The stigma around cannabis dissolves quickly when you’re a parent with a sick baby. You will move the stars and box glaciers to make them well.

Marijuana Refugees: Changing States to Save Their Kids, Source: http://www.sweetfertility.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/holding_baby_hand_105089895.jpg

“The stigma around cannabis dissolves quickly when you’re a parent with a sick baby. You will move the stars and box glaciers to make them well.”

In the last 16 months, over 200 families have relocated to Colorado for similar reasons. I suspect that many, like the Brunos and Jessees, do not want to leave their homes and support structures, but faced with such a choice, I would do the same. Sadly, these families cannot even go home for holidays or visits because their children cannot go without their CBD oil and, if they cross state lines, they will be considered criminals. This is even more infuriating when we consider that CBD oil is now legal in Missouri, but the production of it is not. Laws are meant to keep our society free and peaceful for all our citizens, but in cases like this, the system has failed miserably.

My heart goes out to these families, even moreso to those who are unable to relocate. If this keeps up, Colorado and Washington may see a population boom and whatever state is losing their residents will suffer for it.

I plead, once again and with a face of blue, to the federal government to reschedule marijuana, open medical research, and abolish the useless and failed war on the most benign “drug” known to man.