Pubdate: Tue, 06 Oct 2015 Source: Penticton Herald (CN BC) Copyright: 2015 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers Contact: http://www.pentictonherald.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/664 Author: Susan McIver Page: A3 CANNABIS OIL PRODUCTS STILL HARD TO LOCATE IN CANADA While the Supreme Court's ruling this summer legalized use of extracts and derivatives of medical marijuana, Canadian consumers are still facing hurdles, causing some to look to American sources. "It's a relief not to feel like a criminal," said Chris Nuessler, a retired RCMP officer and grandfather of Kyla Williams, the 3 1/2- year-old Summerland girl who has shown dramatic improvement from severe epilepsy since using cannabis oil. In early 2014, when Kyla's doctors said they had exhausted all treatment options, her family turned to the then illegal cannabis oil. "Currently, there's a Catch 22 situation for families in this country," Chris said. Extracts and derivatives can only be obtained legally from licensed medical marijuana producers, but to Chris' knowledge, none of these operations are currently making the compounds. However, extracts and derivatives are available from a few unlicensed laboratories. "This means some families are continuing to break the law in order to obtain these products while others are making their own," Kyla's grandmother Elaine Nuessler said. "A long-standing challenge for Canadians has been obtaining oil of known content and consistent quality," Chris said. Cannabis oil in Canada comes primarily from hemp grown by Prairie farmers under various conditions and produced in laboratories using different techniques, he explained. Kyla's family became so frustrated with the unreliability of the Canadian oils and the subsequent differing responses they elicited in Kyla that they turned to Charlotte's Web produced by CW Botanicals in Colorado. Charlotte's Web is named after Charlotte Figi, a little girl whose epileptic seizures were controlled by cannabis oil. Dr. Sanjay Gupta's first CNN special on medical marijuana in early 2014 focused on Charlotte's Web and CW Botanicals, operated by the Stanley brothers. In early September, the Nuesslers visited CW Botanicals and the Realm of Caring, a non-profit organization that provides support for families using cannabinoid products. "CW is very grassroots, hands-on and family-run. Not a large commercial enterprise like we had expected," Elaine said. Chris attributes Kyla's improvement since using Charlotte's Web to the quality and consistency of the oil resulting from the rigid conditions under which the plants are grown and the oil produced. "The plants are all clones. All conditions controlled. And everyone in the lab has a science degree," Chris said. Importing Charlotte's Web for individual use into Canada is legal because it is considered a dietary supplement, not a prohibited Schedule 1 substance, he explained. Under both Canadian and U.S. laws, products containing less than 0.3 per cent THC, the psychoactive component, are considered dietary compounds. "These products are high in cannabidiols (CBDs), which are the compounds effective against many conditions, including epilepsy," Elaine said. Elaine is quick to say that the oil is not a cure, but is providing sufficient symptom relief for Kyla to grow and develop. "She recently said her first words - hi, da, ma," Elaine said. Kyla and her parents, Jared and Courtney Williams, are participating in a genomic study on the cause of intractable epilepsy being conducted through UBC and B.C. Children's Hospital. "We were told there are 5,000 people in B.C. whose epilepsy cannot be controlled with maximal medical treatment. The scientists are investigating the possibility of a common genetic link," Elaine said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom