So sick kids can get medical marijuana, families flee Kansas and Missouri
By Donald Bradley, The Kansas City Star | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
No hurry. One night last week, he happily chomped on string cheese and broccoli. Well, spit broccoli out anyway, the florets landing on the toy frog in his lap.
Otis is 2. He and little ones like him have become the new face of America's discussion about marijuana. Forget
Now it's about kids who suffer hundreds of seizures every day because of epilepsy and other neurological disorders. A growing number of health professionals, buoyed by new research and positive results, say medical marijuana, specifically an oil extract called Charlotte's Web, can help those children.
The big question is, why do these families have to move to
"As success stories get out and word spreads, they are coming here from everywhere," said Gedde, a pathologist who has encouraged dozens of families to make the move from as far away as
"We see them every day."
That's what Otis' mom and dad are doing. Otis, who turns 3 in June, can't walk or talk. In February, he broke a leg because constant medication weakened his bones.
But he smiles. His life is what he knows.
"Anybody in our shoes would do the same thing,"
Through the Internet and social media, the refugees find each other. They exchange stories, compare notes and help with one another's kids. A woman who moved last year from
It could soon be the faces of children such as
And of course,
Then they tried the marijuana oil -- and it worked. She is the Charlotte of Charlotte's Web.
"Marijuana can end the suffering of children with seizures," Gedde said by phone from her office. "Who wants to be against that?"
Critics argue that a medical marijuana law is just a steppingstone to statutes allowing recreational use. They say that it would make pot easier for teens to get and that it would lead to harder drugs. They also point to all the approved drugs that are available.
The big "no" comes from the
But the
Proponents such as the refugee families want people to look at a website called Face of Cannabis, at faceofcannabis.wordpress.com. It shows their children and tells their stories.
"It's just unfortunate that we have to pack up and leave our lives to go get medicine that may save my son's life," she said.
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These marijuana refugees don't rival in numbers the dream chasers of the
But they have one thing those earlier seekers lacked. Or, rather, they lack something the earlier ones possessed.
"We don't have a choice," said
He is wrapping up law school and works for the
He rejects criticism that asks, why try medical marijuana when we don't know whether it will work? He said his family didn't know whether the other medications would work either, and they didn't. One, he said, had a 3 percent chance of working, and a possible side effect was death.
"We can't wait any longer," he said of the family's move to
"This is about hope."
The current situation is not acceptable, they said.
"Families looking to access medical marijuana as a treatment are facing terrible decisions," Gattone said. "One parent may move across the country to live with a child to seek this treatment. Other families may uproot entirely, including leaving their job, to move where they can access CBD oil," referring to Charlotte's Web.
The thick, amber-colored oil is made by a dispensary in
The treatment, sometimes administered by a drop under the tongue, is not covered by insurance, but financial help is available. A typical month's supply runs about
"If I were
"All the seizures -- it was hell," Guthrie said. "Watching your daughter be tortured and being helpless to stop it.
"These families moving to
"I want to be clear on that: I would break the law. When it's your child, it's a no-brainer."
She said
"I've seen incredible things," Brown said. "And not just with
"Most of us just wanted help with seizures. But we're seeing improvement with cognitive skills and memory."
Legislation has been introduced in
"We've been through so much, and this is just something else we have to do," she said. "Just like others, our support system is here. Our family is here. June's therapists are here. So from that standpoint, it's very hard. But thankfully, Matt's firm has an office in
"But some people can't, and that's not right."
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Otis likes to swing outside. Likes the sun and the breeze.
Lots of both of those things are at his grandparents' place in a rural area of
Ryan's parents,
"They've been through so much and tried so many things,"
She and her husband fully support the move to
"You'll do anything for your kids," said
"Those of us doing this are learning from each other," he said.
His parents are already making plans to visit.
"It's looking like it's that or me staying here by myself."
To reach
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