Pubdate: Thu, 17 Jul 2014
Source: Regina Leader-Post (CN SN)
Copyright: 2014 The Leader-Post Ltd.
Contact: http://www.leaderpost.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor.html
Website: http://www.leaderpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/361
Author: Marie-Danielle Smith
Page: A8
Bookmark: http://mapinc.org/topic/Dravet

SIX-YEAR-OLD USER RUNS AFOUL OF FEDERAL RULES

OTTAWA- Liam McKnight signed his medical marijuana licence when he 
was just five years old.

The Ottawa boy suffers from Dravet syndrome, a rare and severe form 
of epilepsy. It can cause nearly constant seizures that last three to 
four minutes each. His condition led him to miss time during kindergarten.

Liam had 67 seizures the day before starting cannabis oil treatment. 
The first 10 days he used cannabis oil, he was seizure-free, his mother says.

"He had new words," said Liam's mother, Mandy. "He was horseback 
riding. He was in a boat, he went tubing. He was so happy. We had a 
little glimpse of what life could be like."

Now six years old, Liam is registered to start Grade 1 in September, 
with the help of an educational assistant and full-time nurse.

On Wednesday, he was counting characters in a children's book and 
having a pretty good day. "I went to the park," he said. "I read a book."

Even though Liam is licensed to use medical marijuana, taking it in 
extracted oil form violates Health Canada's new Marihuana for Medical 
Purposes Regulations, which came into effect April 1.

Under the regulations, the strains of marijuana that producers can 
sell are no longer restricted, making it easier to find strains high 
in CBD, the chemical that treats Liam's condition the best, but low 
in THC, a psychoactive component associated with pain relief. 
However, licensed producers can only sell dried marijuana. They can't 
sell any derivative products, such as oils or foods made with marijuana.

The McKnights receive a boxed shipment of 150 grams of dried 
marijuana from Bedrocan, one of 13 licensed marijuana producers in 
Canada, each month. Turning it into oil - Liam takes about a quarter 
of a cup each day - is not a straightforward task.

"Health Canada says Liam has to smoke it or he has to vaporize it," 
McKnight said.

They ship the dry buds to the Medical Cannabis Access Society in 
Montreal, where it is processed and extracted into coconut oil. It is 
shipped back to the family then a sample is sent to a British 
Columbia laboratory that analyzes the oil's CBD and THC content so 
she can give Liam precise doses. Technically, this process goes 
against Health Canada regulations.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom