Judge allows Arizona boy to be treated with marijuana extract
- By Julie Wilson - March 28, 2014
Last Friday, an Ariz. judge made a significant decision that could potentially revolutionize the way Americans utilize medical marijuana.
Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper of Maricopa County ruled in favor of allowing five-year-old Zander Welton, who was suffering from debilitating epileptic seizures, to use cannabidiol (CBD), one of 60 cannabinoids discovered in marijuana.
CBD oil, which makes up approximately 40 percent of the plant's extract, has been proven to help treat severe medical problems including Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression and even cancer.
Fighting for natural health freedom
The judge's ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on Nov. 13 on behalf of the little boy. The motion requested the court to "rule that the state's medical marijuana law allows uses of marijuana extracts such as resins added to baked goods and creams," reported AZ Central.
While voters approved the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA) in 2010, there seemed to be some confusion over whether or not the act included the use of pot extract.
A report by Medical Jane describes how badly the Welton family and their young child had been suffering. Just nine months into the boy's life, he began experiencing violent seizures, and subsequently had portions of his brain removed in two separate surgeries. Not only did the surgeries fail, but prescribing the child heavy doses of deadly pharmaceutical drugs left him with harmful side effects, and no reduction of his seizures.
Finally, the family was introduced to medical marijuana, both the CBD oil and the plant in its dried form. This treatment worked wonders on the boy's health, and his parents soon began to see changes in their child, including increased happiness and the abilities to sleep peacefully, walk backwards and play with his siblings.
Miraculously, he was finally able to go weeks without a single seizure.
The little boy's family finally found hope in what had been a painful, helpless situation, but they were still facing one big problem.
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery aggressively pursued the Welton family, threatening to prosecute them for administering what he considered illegal marijuana to their son.
Under Montgomery's interpretation, the AMMA only allowed the use of dried flowers, and not CBD oil. Facing prosecution and understandably frightened, the family stopped treating Zander with marijuana extract. "My husband and I made the heartbreaking decision to stop giving Zander the medical marijuana oil," said the boy's mother.
Fortunately for the Welton family, the ACLU got involved and fought for the boy's freedom to choose the treatment that his family deemed most effective. The lawsuit specifically asked for clarification on what exactly is considered legal under the AMMA.
Five months after the ruling, Judge Katherine Cooper ruled that nothing in the AMMA "limits the form in which patients may use medical marijuana.... The AMMA authorized qualifying patients to use extracts, including CBD oil, prepared from the marijuana plant."
She also concluded that marijuana extract "make it feasible for patients who cannot consume the medicine in plant form to receive it another way."
The judge's decision is a giant step forward in granting all Americans natural health freedom and, importantly, immediately saving one boy's life.
Cashy Hyde
Other children have not been so lucky. A three-year-old from Mont. named Cash Hyde suffered from recurring life-threatening brain tumors but finally found relief once he began using cannabis oil. Once on the cannabis oil, Cash's cancer went into remission and he began to get healthy.
The decision to treat Cash with CBD oil came with dire consequences, including threats by police, prosecution that could result in incarceration for the family and also steep fines.
"I've had law enforcement threatening to kick my door down, but I would have done anything to keep Cashy alive," said the boy's father, Mike Hyde.
Aggression from law enforcement against patients using pot extract stems from Big Pharma's determination to keep pot extract illegal. Why? Because they're fully aware that they could lose billions of dollars if pot extract were to replace prescription drugs, which it's fully capable of doing for many medical conditions.
Currently, Big Pharma is unable to regulate CBD oil because it's a naturally occurring compound and therefore cannot be patented. The last thing this billion-dollar-a-year industry wants is for patients to effectively treat themselves with a natural herb that can grow relatively easily in their backyard.
Tragically, under pressure from the Feds, the state of Montana cracked down on medical marijuana, forcing many dispensaries to close and subsequently cutting off Cash's cannabis oil supply. His cancer soon returned and he passed away in his father's arms in late 2012.
His story was featured in a documentary called America's Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny, produced by Kevin Booth.
Saving lives
Despite the horrible outcome for the Hyde family, thanks to Judge Cooper the outcome will not be the same for the Welton family.
Now that Zander's seizures have been significantly reduced, the possibilities surrounding the improvement of his health are endless.
Hopefully the judge's decision will bring awareness and change, both legislatively and in the health community. Suffering and dying patients deserve the freedom to choose which treatment best suits them and their condition.
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