Pubdate: Thu, 05 Dec 2013
Source: Peoria Journal Star (IL)
Copyright: 2013sPeoria Journal Star
Contact:  http://pjstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/338
Author: Steve Tarter

FAMILY SEEKS EPILEPSY'S INCLUSION IN MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW

Peoria, IL - Medical marijuana becomes legal in Illinois in January,
but Washington resident Adam Frederick has already been to Springfield
to get the state law expanded.

Frederick and his wife, Kristy, want to see the cannabis program
include treatment for epilepsy, a condition that affects their
2-year-old daughter, Michaela.

The new cannabis law in Illinois specifically lists dozens of
qualifying illnesses and diseases, but epilepsy is not one of those.

That's one of the reasons that Ben Rediger, a St. Charles, Mo.,
resident who grew up in the Peoria area, is putting on an
informational program on cannabis at Five Points Washington at 7:30
p.m. Monday.

"People have a misunderstanding about cannabis," he said, preferring
to use that term rather than medical marijuana.

The planned keynote speaker for the Washington program is Josh Stanley
from Fort Collins, Colo., a state where cannabis already is available
for epileptic patients.

With his brothers, Stanley raises marijuana legally along with
operating a dispensary in Colorado. But what's brought almost 100
families with epileptic children to Colorado, according to CBS, is a
special kind of cannabis raised by the Stanleys - one low in THC, the
component that makes one "high" but high in cannabidiol, known as CBD,
which has been shown to provide relief for children suffering from
seizures.

"Michaela has 30 to 50 seizures a day. She has to take these harsh
meds. We've done a lot of research. CBD has a lot of promise," said
Frederick, whose Washington home was "one corn field away" from the
path of the destructive tornado that hit the town last month.

"(CBD) may not work for her, but we want to give it a try," said the
father. "Michaela can't tell us how she's feeling. We haven't really
met her yet," he said.

Frederick added he's considering a temporary move to Colorado in order
to acquire CBD, a thick black oil derived from the cannabis plant.

"We'd put it right into her feeding tube," he said.

Event planner Rediger said he first got interested in cannabis while
attending a roofing convention in Las Vegas two years ago. "There was
a cannabis growing convention next door," he said.

With his curiosity aroused about the properties of cannabis, Rediger
said he began researching the issue.

In July, when he found himself "downsized" by his employer, Rediger
said he decided to get involved with the cannabis industry.

"The event we're holding in Washington is not just to educate
community leaders but to inspire them to do something right. I look at
it as a coming-out party," he said.

"There's a lot of fear regarding the subject, but we need to
understand that the recreational use of cannabis can exist separately
from the medical use," Rediger said.

"More research is needed on medical cannabis," he said, adding that he
hoped to have Dr. Lester Grinspoon of Harvard Medical School
participate in Monday's program via a video hook-up.
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