Pubdate: Thu, 20 Oct 2016
Source: Summerland Review (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 The Summerland Review
Contact:  http://www.summerlandreview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1143
Author: John Arendt

TREATMENT APPROVED

A Summerland family has received an exemption from Health Canada,
allowing them to access cannabis oil to calm their child's seizures.

The exemption allows four-year-old Kyla Williams to access the
medication, provided they have a letter from Health Canada.

Before using the oil, Williams, who has intractable epilepsy, suffered
more than 300 seizures a day. That number has dropped drastically
since she started using the oil and she will now go days or weeks
without having a seizure.

Williams's grandmother, Elaine Neussler, said the oil, known as
Charlotte's Web, is produced in Colorado.

It has a low level of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana,
but it has high levels of cannabidiol, which calms electrical activity
in the brain.

Williams takes around 130 milligrams of the oil each day, increasing
the dose with seizure activity.

While Neussler is pleased with the Health Canada ruling, she said the
wording of the three-page letter is concerning, since the oil is
described as a narcotic.

"It's more like a dietary substance than a controlled drug substance,"
Neussler said. "It has no psychoactive abilities whatsoever. It's nontoxic."

The family had earlier tried conventional medications and other oils,
but the best results have been with the Charlotte's Web oil.

Neussler said research into the oil has been conducted for the past
four years. Because of the improvements the family has seen in
Williams's epilepsy, they want to keep her on the oil treatment.

The exemption provided for Williams is available to others as well,
provided they have a doctor's letter to apply for the medical exemption.

The family has a website at www.kylasquest.com, documenting Williams's
condition and providing information on the Charlotte's Web oil.
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MAP posted-by: Matt