Illegally Alive

It is a morally powerful issue hopefully none of us have to face. As an individual or as a parent. Would you rather be legally dead or illegally alive?

Alive, Unlawfully

This week the BBC reported on a worried mother in Wales. Resorting to illegal measures out of fear she could lose her son if she does not.

Sophie’s 22-year-old son suffers from a severe form of epilepsy. Literally, any seizure could mean the worst case scenario.

“The desperation you feel as a parent to protect your child is ingrained and inbuilt, so when you see your child having a seizure where they’re not breathing and not responding, when you don’t know if they’re going to survive this one, then I think any parent would take that risk.”

‘Sophie’ – False name for legal reasons, but very real story.

The government and some media outlets appear to have declared medicinal cannabis legal.

In reality most people, many of them children. Are having to resort to illegal measures to get their essential cannabis extracts.

Where’s the Issue?!

If CBD oils and cannabis are now legal and available then why is there still an issue? Well the oil that Sophie sources will contain good quantities of THC.

THC is the now ‘controlled’ compound that makes users feel high. This psychedelic compound has its very own amazing properties it is important to add.

Getting cannabis oil on prescription is intentionally difficult. It is also incredibly expensive @ around £700 a month.

“Being part of the epileptic community, everyone talks”

Sophie said.

Worth the Risk?

This is one of the reasons people like Sophie take the legal risk.

CBD oils like CanaXen, though they are whole plant extract. Are bound by law to contain no more than 0.2% THC.

“We were seeing that lots of people were starting to try it and said it had very positive results. It swept through the community very quickly. “We turned to cannabis oil probably two years ago now. Since he’s started taking it the effects have been really quite dramatic, the seizures have slowed right down. “He rarely gets a seizure now whereas he would be having maybe one, two, three, four a day, quite easily, that was a regular occurrence.”

She Finished

Not the Only One

We reported last year when Hannah Deacon pushed the government to act fast. They buckled and agreed to allow cannabis on prescription.

With backing from Sir Patrick Stewart who uses it himself for arthritis. They took it to the top and certainly had their phasers set to stun.

It is people like Hannah and many others including Charlotte Caldwell. Last but by no means least Callie Blackwell, read her amazing story here.

These pioneering ladies have made change possible and medical cannabis far more accessible.

What can be done?

One thing the government could do today. Make it easier to access the cannabis extracts needed. They could also provide some official guidance.

Instead of letting families turn to illegal sources. Another consideration is the way these black market oils are actually extracted.

Many use 99% Isopropyl alcohol to get the concentrated oil from base material. In many cases, the alcohol is not fully burned off resulting in contamination.

“Over the last six to eight months we’ve had to deal with the fact patients are sourcing CBD oil from overseas, from elsewhere in the UK and from non-NHS sources”

Dr. Gareth Thomas – Peadiatric Neurologist, One of 3 Licensed to prescribe cannabis oil in Wales

What is needed are ethical companies regulated by the government. AND at an affordable cost would be far more viable to care for people’s needs.

For CBD oil, always use a good company with third-party lab tests for all products. And always choose whole plant extract if you want real results.

What about CBD Oil?

In the UK currently, there are hundreds of CBD oil companies. Most of the oils on offer will simply be CBD crystals dissolved in something like olive oil.

These oils have very little, to zero observable benefits. What is needed is a whole plant extract to get the desired effect.

This is why you cannot simply buy a CBD from your local petrol station and expect results. The full Entourage effect is needed to feed the bodies own ECS.

If you want to see real results then you need a whole plant extracted oil. With ALL of the amazing parts of the plant.

For the full story read it here.