Robert Celt
New Member
Since she was 9 months old, my daughter, Mary Louise, has suffered from seizures – sometimes up to 200 an hour. Watching my daughter, now 8, suffer has led me – as a parent – to seek any treatment possible.
We have tried multiple medications, special diets, and seen specialists around the country. All of these treatments had been largely unsuccessful; however, upon learning of cannabis oil, and the success that other epileptic patients have experienced, we were filled with a new hope.
In 2014, we helped support a bill that ultimately was passed by the South Carolina General Assembly which allowed patients with severe epilepsy to access CBD oil for treatment.
Cannabis oil has helped Mary Louise with alertness, cognition, and verbalization, and we've even seen some decrease in her seizures.
We're thankful for this, but two issues still impede her progress.
First, accessing her medication has been difficult. We've mostly had to rely on the black market, an uncomfortable situation for any parent, as I have often been uncertain of what exactly I was getting or how it was manufactured.
Second, while I'm grateful for any improvements in her health, as she has gotten older, Mary Louise has been experiencing new seizure types so severe that she stops breathing and requires rescue medication. Despite medication changes, we haven't been able to get these seizures under control.
This is, in part, because the type of cannabis oil that is allowed in South Carolina lacks THC, an important component of the cannabis plant that interacts with Cannabidiol (CBD) and other chemical compounds to more effectively treat symptoms. Based on information shared by parents treating these types of seizures in legal medical marijuana states, we feel that she will need treatment using whole-plant therapy – including THC.
Watching Mary Louise battle epilepsy has been painful, but in advocating for access for my daughter, I have learned that there are also many others out there dealing with severe medical conditions such as chronic pain, cancer and PTSD that only respond to strains of medical cannabis that include THC.
In South Carolina, our state legislators are still not completely convinced of the benefits for patients that would come from legal access to higher THC strains of medical cannabis. A comprehensive medical marijuana bill was defeated by a large margin a few weeks ago in a senate committee hearing.
Thankfully, House members are rallying to support a companion bill that also passed subcommittee last year. Hopefully this push will help legislation move forward that will help our family solve our problem of accessing whole-plant cannabis medication here in South Carolina.
Fortunately, there is also a federal opportunity to help us solve our issue of protected legal access.
The CARERS Act, currently in the U.S. Senate, would protect patients who use medical marijuana in compliance with their state laws from federal prosecution.
Currently, 24 states and the District of Columbia have medical marijuana programs, and 16 more, like South Carolina, have CBD programs. Despite this overwhelming support for state compassionate recognition of the benefits of medical cannabis, the federal government has maintained its position on the prohibition of all forms of medical cannabis. The CARERS Act would allow patients, parents, and families to feel safe in their pursuit of medicine.
Our senator, Lindsey Graham, has recognized the importance of this piece of legislation, and recently added his name as a co-sponsor on the bill. As the bill moves into the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Graham's membership on this committee will be valuable in allowing him to speak compassionately about this issue.
It is vital that Sen. Tim Scott joins Sen. Graham in co-sponsoring this bill that would be so meaningful in the lives of South Carolina patients like Mary Louise.
As a parent, I will continue fighting for my daughter's health. I urge all of our legislators to do the same.
Jill K. Swing is a special needs mother who lives in Charleston.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: S.C. Legislators, Congress Should Back Medical Marijuana
Author: Jill K. Swing
Photo Credit: None found
Website: The Post And Courier
We have tried multiple medications, special diets, and seen specialists around the country. All of these treatments had been largely unsuccessful; however, upon learning of cannabis oil, and the success that other epileptic patients have experienced, we were filled with a new hope.
In 2014, we helped support a bill that ultimately was passed by the South Carolina General Assembly which allowed patients with severe epilepsy to access CBD oil for treatment.
Cannabis oil has helped Mary Louise with alertness, cognition, and verbalization, and we've even seen some decrease in her seizures.
We're thankful for this, but two issues still impede her progress.
First, accessing her medication has been difficult. We've mostly had to rely on the black market, an uncomfortable situation for any parent, as I have often been uncertain of what exactly I was getting or how it was manufactured.
Second, while I'm grateful for any improvements in her health, as she has gotten older, Mary Louise has been experiencing new seizure types so severe that she stops breathing and requires rescue medication. Despite medication changes, we haven't been able to get these seizures under control.
This is, in part, because the type of cannabis oil that is allowed in South Carolina lacks THC, an important component of the cannabis plant that interacts with Cannabidiol (CBD) and other chemical compounds to more effectively treat symptoms. Based on information shared by parents treating these types of seizures in legal medical marijuana states, we feel that she will need treatment using whole-plant therapy – including THC.
Watching Mary Louise battle epilepsy has been painful, but in advocating for access for my daughter, I have learned that there are also many others out there dealing with severe medical conditions such as chronic pain, cancer and PTSD that only respond to strains of medical cannabis that include THC.
In South Carolina, our state legislators are still not completely convinced of the benefits for patients that would come from legal access to higher THC strains of medical cannabis. A comprehensive medical marijuana bill was defeated by a large margin a few weeks ago in a senate committee hearing.
Thankfully, House members are rallying to support a companion bill that also passed subcommittee last year. Hopefully this push will help legislation move forward that will help our family solve our problem of accessing whole-plant cannabis medication here in South Carolina.
Fortunately, there is also a federal opportunity to help us solve our issue of protected legal access.
The CARERS Act, currently in the U.S. Senate, would protect patients who use medical marijuana in compliance with their state laws from federal prosecution.
Currently, 24 states and the District of Columbia have medical marijuana programs, and 16 more, like South Carolina, have CBD programs. Despite this overwhelming support for state compassionate recognition of the benefits of medical cannabis, the federal government has maintained its position on the prohibition of all forms of medical cannabis. The CARERS Act would allow patients, parents, and families to feel safe in their pursuit of medicine.
Our senator, Lindsey Graham, has recognized the importance of this piece of legislation, and recently added his name as a co-sponsor on the bill. As the bill moves into the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Graham's membership on this committee will be valuable in allowing him to speak compassionately about this issue.
It is vital that Sen. Tim Scott joins Sen. Graham in co-sponsoring this bill that would be so meaningful in the lives of South Carolina patients like Mary Louise.
As a parent, I will continue fighting for my daughter's health. I urge all of our legislators to do the same.
Jill K. Swing is a special needs mother who lives in Charleston.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: S.C. Legislators, Congress Should Back Medical Marijuana
Author: Jill K. Swing
Photo Credit: None found
Website: The Post And Courier
