Pubdate: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2015 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/5NyOACet Website: http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531 Author: Susan McIver COUPLE DEFENDS SUPPLIER OF CANNABIS OIL USED TO TREAT SUMMERLAND TOT A Summerland couple is urging the mayor and council of Grand Forks to allow a dispensary of medical cannabis to remain open in their town. Two Grand Forks citizens had lodged complaints about the business. In a recent letter to the Grand Forks officials, Chris and Elaine Nuessler told of the invaluable assistance Jim Leslie has been to their granddaughter, Kyla Williams, through his business, The Kootenays Medicine Tree. "You and these citizens (two who complained) need to understand the extreme need for this dispensary and the derivatives they sell. Jim Leslie is very knowledgeable and has helped many people including numerous children. Please educate yourselves and do what you can to save this business," the Nuesslers wrote. Leslie, who knows first-hand the benefits of medical cannabis, holds a bachelor degree in criminal justice and retired from the position of border services officer in 2011. Under the federal Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, which came into effect April 1, 2014, licensed producers can sell only dried marijuana, which means derivatives such cannabis oil are illegal. "The law against derivatives will be going to the Supreme Court of Canada in the next several months. We all have a right to a quality of life," the Nuesslers wrote. Cannabis oil has proven to be an effective treatment for Kyla, who was diagnosed with a severe seizure disorder at six months of age. Her condition deteriorated in spite of care provided by her pediatrician and doctors at BC Children's Hospital. "By her second birthday, she had rejected all forms of viable pharmaceuticals as well as the ketogenic (high-fat) diet and was suffering up to 200 seizures a day. This severely affected her brain and Kyla's development stopped," the Nuesslers wrote. The doctors told Kyla's parents, Jared and Courtney Williams, they had exhausted their treatment options. Today, Kyla is much more socially interactive and is steadily gaining strength to the point where she is trying to stand by herself. Kyla will celebrate her third birthday on Feb. 1, wearing her first pair of real shoes. The dramatic turnaround in Kyla's condition began last April, when Kyla's family learned of the potential beneficial effects of cannabis oil for children with seizure disorders in a CNN report. "We started investigating if this oil was available in Canada and how to get it," the Nuesslers wrote. Kyla's pediatrician and the doctors at Children's Hospital understood the family's desire to try cannabis oil, but they could not legally assist in obtaining it. "The concentrated, lab-produced cannabis oil with high CBD (cannabidiol) and low THC (the psychoactive component of marijuana) was what we were looking for, and that is when Jim Leslie came to our rescue. He provided us with oil that worked almost immediately," wrote the Nuesslers. Kyla is now a happy little girl. She is not cured. She is disabled. However, there is much hope for her future. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D