Pubdate: Tue, 12 Aug 2014
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Susan McIver
Page: A2

ILLEGAL POT OIL REDUCES EPILEPTIC B.C. GIRL'S SEIZURES

PENTICTON - A two-year-old Summerland girl whose family is feeding 
her illegal cannabis oil has had a dramatic improvement in her 
seizure disorder.

Kyla Williams' family says in the past five months the oil given to 
the girl has reduced the hundreds of seizures she was suffering daily.

"We were astonished and so thankful when Kyla no longer had any 
seizures or only very few each day. Her overall condition continues 
to improve both physically and mentally. Kyla is alert, increasingly 
socially interactive and loves sucking her thumb," Kyla's mother, 
Courtney Williams said.

The girl's grandmother, Elaine Nuessler, said numerous drugs were 
tried to stop the seizures. Doctors told the family that they were 
down to the last possible medication and Kyla may have seizures for 
the rest of her life.

"The seizures themselves and the medications prescribed by the 
doctors were causing a progressive deterioration," Nuessler said. 
Kyla had lost motor skills, couldn't suck her thumb and was becoming 
less responsive to the world around her.

They began using the illegal oil when a family member saw a feature 
on television about how cannabis helped children with epilepsy.

Now the family is urging the government to legalize such derivatives 
so more research can be done on the medical and health benefits.

Under medical marijuana regulations that came into effect April 1, 
licensed producers can only sell dried marijuana.

It's illegal to sell derivative products such as oils or foods made 
from marijuana. The family has run into problems because of the lack 
of information on characteristics of the many strains of marijuana 
and the limited quantities available, Nuessler said.

"When the supply of the first oil was exhausted, we tried oil from 
four other strains."

While reducing seizure numbers and severity, those oils were not as 
effective as the first oil, she said.

Kyla's grandfather, Chris Nuessler, is a retired RCMP officer who 
said he had to do a "180 on marijuana after seeing the benefits."

"It's critical that people educate themselves about medical marijuana 
and join in the struggle to have derivatives legalized," he said.

"Careful studies are needed to determine the exact composition and 
concentration of each compound in the various strains and their 
effectiveness in treatment."

The studies can't be done as long as the oils and other derivatives 
are illegal, he added.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom