Pubdate: Thu, 17 Jul 2014
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Marie-Danielle Smith
Page: A18

MEDICAL POT USER, 6, RUNS AFOUL OF RULES

Boy Can't Use Cannabis Oil Treatment, the Most Effective Remedy to 
Combat His Epilepsy

OTTAWA - Liam McKnight signed his medical marijuana licence when he 
was just five years old.

The Ottawa boy suffers from Dravet syndrome, a rare and severe form 
of epilepsy. It can cause nearly constant seizures that last three to 
four minutes each.

His condition led him to miss time during kindergarten.

Liam had 67 seizures the day before starting cannabis oil treatment. 
The first 10 days he used cannabis oil, he was seizure-free, his 
mother says. "He had new words," said Liam's mother, Mandy. "He was 
horseback riding. He was in a boat, he went tubing. He was so happy. 
We had a little glimpse of what life could be like."

Now six years old, Liam is registered to start Grade 1 in September, 
with the help of an educational assistant and full-time nurse.

Even though Liam is licensed to use medical marijuana, taking it in 
extracted oil form violates Health Canada's new Marihuana for Medical 
Purposes Regulations, which came into effect April 1.

Under the regulations, the strains of marijuana that producers can 
sell are no longer restricted, making it easier to find strains high 
in CBD, the chemical that treats Liam's condition the best, but low 
in THC, a psychoactive component associated with pain relief.

However, licensed producers can only sell dried marijuana. They can't 
sell any derivative products, such as oils or foods made with marijuana.

The McKnights receive a boxed shipment of 150 grams of dried 
marijuana from Bedrocan, one of 13 licensed marijuana producers in 
Canada, each month.

Turning it into the oil that Liam consumes is not a straightforward task.

"Health Canada says Liam has to smoke it or he has to vaporize it," 
McKnight said. "Those are our two options, that's it. So although 
they give him a licence, the form of delivery is ridiculous."

Instead, they ship the dry buds to the Montreal-based Medical 
Cannabis Access Society, where it is processed and extracted into 
coconut oil. Then, it is shipped back to the family and McKnight 
sends a sample of the batch to a laboratory in British Columbia that 
analyzes the oil's CBD and THC content so she can give Liam precise doses.

Technically, this process goes against Health Canada regulations. 
"Financially, it's draining," McKnight said. "If we were getting an 
extraction from a licensed producer, it wouldn't cost nearly this 
much. I don't even know how long we're going to be able to sustain this."

In 2012, the B.C. Supreme Court ruled that people should be allowed 
to make their own oils, butters, baked goods and lotions using 
cannabis. But the new regulations that came into effect in April mean 
the case is going back to court.

For McKnight, who runs a Facebook page to raise awareness about 
Liam's condition, it's a matter of common sense.

"I really hope that somebody at Health Canada or somebody in this 
government just finally stands up and says, 'OK, this is ridiculous. 
We need to help these kids.' "

Health Canada did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom