Mom Calls To Legalize Medical Marijuana After Cannabis Oil Halts Boy’s Seizures
A go-to argument for marijuana opponents is that its legalization will lead to more use among young teens and kids, as it becomes more accessible. Yvonne Cahalane, from Dunmanway in West Cork calls to legalise medical marijuana.
Cahalanes’ two-year-old son Tristan was born with Dravet syndrome, a severe, incurable form of epilepsy. Tristan got seizures up to 20 times a day since he was five months old. He was medically treated for over a year but ended up with numerous neurological and cognitive problems that affected his speech, movement, appetite, and behaviour. This was due to the combination of his condition and the side-effects from his prescribed pharmaceutical medications.
In December 2015, Yvonne and Tristan moved to Colorado to begin cannabis treatment with the hope of easing his debilitating symptoms. The attempt was so convincing that he did not need rescue medication or oxygen since beginning his cannabis oil. Within days of his first medicinal marijuana treatment, there was a noticeable improvement. He has been weaned off three pharmaceutical drugs and is about to begin removing a fourth. Any previous attempts to wean off medications in Ireland had always resulted in Tristan being hospitalised.
Tristan was able to make eye contact and became more alert. He began to babble, repeat sounds, and say new words. During the second week he began to get steadier on his feet, he wasn’t falling after a few steps, he was bending with stability and he began to kick a ball.
“The hospital and doctors we have caring for Tristan are wonderful, they hold cannabis in high regard as a medicine. Colorado in general is a very open-minded and beautiful state. There are educational events all the time to spread awareness of people’s options in using cannabis as their medicine,” said Yvonne.
Cannabis oil is illegal in Ireland and will not be available to Tristan when he returns home. Poor mother has launched an online petition on change.org that has acquired almost 3,000 signatures and is asking everybody who agrees with changing the law to sign it.
Source: Irish Examiner
