Despite the so-far overwhelmingly positive effects of cannabis as a medicine, folks are still finding themselves confronted with criminal charges for attempting to treat their own illnesses with cannabis.

Adam Koessler of Queensland, Australia is one of these people. He’s facing potential prison time for attempting to save his child’s life with cannabis oil.

Koessler’s 2-year-old daughter has stage-4 neuroblastoma, a terminal cancer. When chemo was not working, he did what any father would do: he looked for another way to save his daughter.

Koessler began giving his daughter doses of cannabis oil after reading about how well it did for other people. Instantly he noticed remarkable results and an extreme improvement in her condition.

Koessler isn’t alone: he’s one of thousands of people who have discovered what medical research is increasingly showing: that cannabis can help alleviate the painful side effects of cancer treatments, and may have an effect on shrinking or eliminating tumors.

But now, the father of a 2-year-old with late-stage cancer is facing jail time for using cannabis oil in an attempt to ease his daughter’s suffering.

Like many patients in similarly desperate situations, Koessler now faces legal penalties and even jail time for trying to better his daughter’s life.

This is often the case for parents with children who have terminal illnesses; they are forced to break laws to get their kids the treatment that they need.

The consequences haven’t deterred Koessler, who witnessed first-hand the benefits of cannabis oil for treating his daughter Rumer’s illness.

“The results were amazing, what we saw when Rumer was given the medical cannabis oil what nothing short of miraculous. Her cancer ridden little body was alive again — Rumer had almost instant quality of life…Her skin color came back, her eyes were sparkling again…We were certain after seeing these results that her recovery was entirely possible,” Koessler told Alternet.

Sadly, after learning what Koessler had done, the hospital contacted the police and told them about what was happening, and law enforcement quickly arrested Koessler at the hospital for possessing ‘dangerous drugs’ and for supplying them to a minor.

Despite being released on bail, Koessler has been prevented from being involved in his daughter’s treatment. Some hospital staff have even denied him the chance to visit his sick child.

A petition demanding that the government drop the charges against Koessler and allow him to see his daughter has received over 201,928 supporters, and his case has caught the attention of people all over the world.