Charlotte’s Web: Medical Marijuana

Posted by Claire Smyth on 13th July 2015 Additional Needs, Advice & Support, Disabilities

I believe that if people truly understand the potential that medical marijuana has to overwhelmingly improve the quality of life for so many, including little children suffering with catastrophic epilepsy and other painful and debilitating illnesses, they just might change their minds about legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes.

There is a plethora of anecdotal evidence suggesting that marijuana in all its many forms is stopping the seizures of many individuals. It has also been reported to ease anxiety and aggression in some autistic people. Medical marijuana has even been accused of shrinking tumors!!

It is my strong opinion that these very real experiences of very real people being helped by marijuana should not be ignored or overlooked!

It is also my strong opinion that very sick children and adults should be allowed the opportunity to see if medical marijuana will help them!

Most of the people I spoke to about medical marijuana object to children using it because they are concerned it will make them high and damage their developing brains. Both understandable objections.

But not all forms of medical marijuana make people high and whether they potentially damage the brain is debatable.

In any event, medical marijuana certainly does not do nearly as much damage to developing brains as most of the common medications being prescribed by doctors today.

While it is my personal belief that all forms of marijuana, including those with high THC content (the stuff that makes you high) can be useful and beneficial in the medical realm, the two types that I want to discuss with you now are Charlotte’s Web and THCa.

Charlotte’s Web and THCa are very special types of medical marijuana that are actually considered hemp.

They were developed by the Stanley brothers, who were experimenting to see if there were any benefits from the plant’s compounds for people who didn’t benefit from psycho-activity of marijuana as well as for the suggested potential anti-tumor properties.

The Stanley brothers began the Charlotte’s Web breeding project after meeting 5 year old Charlotte Figi in 2012, and discovering the dramatic success she experienced in her battle with epilepsy.

Charlotte’s Web and THCa have low enough THC to be considered Hemp. Currently, only certain phenotypes are commonly used for the CBD infused into Charlotte’s Web™ Hemp Products, due to the high success rate of these specific cannabinoid profiles in intractable epilepsy.

Hemp oil also known as Cannabidiol is considered to be safe. There are no known recorded deaths or illnesses associated with hemp in its thousand year history of use. Rarely, users may experience short lasting mild stomach pain or a slight sedative effect. Rarer still, users may experience Dysphoria, an unpleasant emotional state.

So you see, There is nothing psychotropic (which means that they alter the consciousness, mood, and thoughts of those who use them) in Charlotte’s Web or THCa hemp oil that will make anyone high. Most of the THC has been bred right out of them.

There is much, much, much less of a chance of Charlotte’s Web hemp oil destroying a child’s developing brain than there is in the approved medications that most children with seizures are being pumped full of today!!

My daughter, Bethany has been suffering with debilitating seizures and seizure medication side effects for fifteen years. She has ingested every kind of epilepsy medication known to mankind and combinations of thereof and still the seizures plague her. Below is a list of potential side effects common to just about every one of Bethany’s seizure medications, most of which are also psychoactive drugs.

Many of her seizure medications will also eventually destroy her liver.

Drowsiness and sedation, slow thinking and impair motor skills.

Common adverse reactions may include somnolence, sedation, fever, drooling, constipation, cough, urinary tract infection, insomnia, aggression, fatigue, upper respiratory tract infection, irritability, vomiting, problems swallowing, problems with coordination, as well as bronchitis, and pneumonia, mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks.

Trouble sleeping, impulsive behavior, agitation, hostility, aggression, restlessness, hyperactivity (mentally or physically), depression, suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self harming,confusion, hallucinations, fever, chills, cough with yellow or green mucus.

Feeling short of breath; feeling like you might pass out.

Pain or burning when you urinate; urinating less than usual or not at all; or severe skin reaction — fever, sore throat, swelling in your face or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain, followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the face or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling.

While it has been obvious when Bethany was experiencing some of these side effects, including a couple of life threatening ones, she is not actually able to tell us if she is suffering with any of them because tragically, her cognitive functioning, memory, and ability to communicate is in decline due to fifteen years of taking these dangerous psychotropic medications and her brain being bombarded with uncontrolled seizures.

I truly and honestly believe that medical marijuana is my daughter’s last hope for a happy, healthy, seizure free life and that it is the last hope for many other children too.