Billy Caldwell requires Cannabis oil for his condition.

[cupid_stunt]

I am surprised there's not a thread on this already.

Having been denied his prescription of cannabis oil by our fuckwitted Home Office, the poor lad has ended-up Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, as his seizures have intensified in recent days.

Oh, as I am typing this, breaking news - Home Office has just agreed to return his medicine, that the idiots confiscated on Monday.

Background to the case here: Boy could die unless given cannabis oil, says mum

 

[ElizabethofYork]

A massive fuck up by our beloved Home Office. Utter cunts.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Apparently Sajid Javid has used an exceptional power he has as Home Secretary to urgently issue a licence for Billy to be treated with cannabis oil.

Home Office returns cannabis oil for boy's epilepsy treatment

 

[dessiato]

Why can't he have "normal" drugs? Serious question as it seems, to me, that this would have been a solution. Why has it got to be cannabis oil?

Of course if this works for him, and other drugs don't, then he must be allowed cannabis oil.

Personally, I think there needs to be a relaxation of the rules. There seems to be a lot of cases wherein it helps.

 

[Baronage-Phase]

Why can't he have "normal" drugs? Serious question as it seems, to me, that this would have been a solution. Why has it got to be cannabis oil?

Of course if this works for him, and other drugs don't, then he must be allowed cannabis oil.

Personally, I think there needs to be a relaxation of the rules. There seems to be a lot of cases wherein it helps.

I'd imagine they have exhausted the usual drugs and interventions and cannabis is their last option.

 

[dessiato]

I'd imagine they have exhausted the usual drugs and interventions and cannabis is their last option.

Thanks. I wondered as it seems an obvious question that I've not seen addressed elsewhere.

I wonder what will happen when his prescription needs refilling. I hope they don't need to go through small this again.

 

[Baronage-Phase]

Thanks. I wondered as it seems an obvious question that I've not seen addressed elsewhere.

I wonder what will happen when his prescription needs refilling. I hope they don't need to go through small this again.

It's licensed for him to use now.... can't see it being an issue again.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

Why can't he have "normal" drugs? Serious question as it seems, to me, that this would have been a solution. Why has it got to be cannabis oil?

Of course if this works for him, and other drugs don't, then he must be allowed cannabis oil.

Personally, I think there needs to be a relaxation of the rules. There seems to be a lot of cases wherein it helps.

Epilepsy seems to be a problem that involves the endocannibinoid system in really important ways.

That wasn’t recognised or studied until fairly recently.

Cannibis is, like, a really specific medicine for epilepsy, because it interrupts the process that leads to seizures.

It’s a really interesting area of study, and it’s contributing to a better understanding of epilepsy and the endocannibinoid system.

The orthodox meds act in a different way, and are more like a stop gap or a holding method rather than treatment. Some epileptics say that they feel as if they’re still having seizures, they’re just masked or covered or held at bay by the meds. It looks like cannabis actually stops them.

But as I say, it’s all an emerging story.

Here’s a paper, there are loads and loads of them out there if you’re interested.

Endocannabinoids and Their Implications for Epilepsy

 

[dessiato]

Epilepsy seems to be a problem that involves the endocannibinoid system in really important ways.

That wasn’t recognised or studied until fairly recently.

Cannibis is, like, a really specific medicine for epilepsy, because it interrupts the process that leads to seizures.

It’s a really interesting area of study, and it’s contributing to a better understanding of epilepsy and the endocannibinoid system.

The orthodox meds act in a different way, and are more like a stop gap or a holding method rather than treatment. Some epileptics say that they feel as if they’re still having seizures, they’re just masked or covered or held at bay by the meds. It looks like cannabis actually stops them.

But as I say, it’s all an emerging story.

Here’s a paper, there are loads and loads of them out there if you’re interested.

Endocannabinoids and Their Implications for Epilepsy

Thank you. That's a great lot of info for me! I'll read the paper later.

 

[existentialist]

Why can't he have "normal" drugs? Serious question as it seems, to me, that this would have been a solution. Why has it got to be cannabis oil?

Of course if this works for him, and other drugs don't, then he must be allowed cannabis oil.

Personally, I think there needs to be a relaxation of the rules. There seems to be a lot of cases wherein it helps.

The side-effects of many of the epilepsy medications are truly awful, and many of them only seem to work in limited cases, and for limited time.

I had a cousin who was quite severely epileptic, and on the then-traditional epilepsy drugs (we're talking late 70s here), which made her very "slow". She fell into a stream on a school trip when she was about 7 or 8, and drowned as a result.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

Thank you. That's a great lot of info for me! I'll read the paper later.

It’s quite heavy on the biochemistry but if you do a search for endocannibinoid + epilepsy you’ll find plenty more to look at.

No one is yet coming up with definitive answers, although it’s pretty easy to extrapolate from current findings.

The danger, to my mind, is that it leads to a time when Big Pharma starts to churn out synthetic analogues of cannibinoids, which might perform alright in tests but ultimately do not provide the same benefits as the whole plant.

What we need instead is a system where we’re not having to rely on word of mouth to source medicinal cannabis, and where we don’t have to do our own endless research to discover what the best oil might be for our particular needs.

The studies need to be into how we can reliably produce high quality cannabis oil that can be accurately tested, and what is needed for particular problems.

 

[dessiato]

Thank you for these replies.

If it were my child in these situations, from what are saying, I'd be force feeding them cannabis.

Let's hope the government sees sense and opens this up for everyone.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

The side-effects of many of the epilepsy medications are truly awful, and many of them only seem to work in limited cases, and for limited time.

I had a cousin who was quite severely epileptic, and on the then-traditional epilepsy drugs (we're talking late 70s here), which made her very "slow". She fell into a stream on a school trip when she was about 7 or 8, and drowned as a result.

That’s awful.

 

[MickiQ]

Cannabis needs legalising in this country period, it's idiotic that something which has fewer side effects and does less harm than alcohol or tobacco is illegal when they aren't.
Virtually every legal problem it causes is down to the fact that it isn't legal not the plant itself.

 

[existentialist]

That’s awful.

It barely got talked about at the time, but there's a little dark corner of my mind which has always been touched by that loss - I'd have been about 14-15 at the time, and it was my first experience of sudden, untimely death. And epilepsy has always carried a slightly deadly tinge ever since.

 

[SheilaNaGig]

((existentialist ))

 

[SpookyFrank]

The side-effects of many of the epilepsy medications are truly awful, and many of them only seem to work in limited cases, and for limited time.

This is true. In many cases you could easily argue that the drugs were worse then the epilepsy left uncontrolled. When that's the best the pharmaceutical business can do for people it's unconscionable to deny them a safe, natural product that could make such a huge difference to them.

 

[cupid_stunt]

I have to say I've been very impressed with how Charlotte Caldwell has handled all the live TV interviews over this weekend, how she's kept so composed, I am not sure I could do that under such difficult circumstances, and also how she's pushing for a change in the law to help not only Billy, but others too.

I wish her the very best in her campaign, in fact I am going to send a letter asking my local MP to support a change in the law.

There's a good piece, sadly on the Mail's website, from Dr Dan Poulter, who's sadly a Tory MP, but I'll forgive him for that on this point! It's worth reading...

The most distressing thing for a doctor is being unable to care properly for a patient. Yet, that is the situation that has confronted those looking after Billy Caldwell.

Earlier this week, the 12-year-old had his first epileptic seizure in more than 250 days after running out of his cannabis oil medication.

Within days, he was in hospital in a life-threatening condition.

It took days of needless suffering to convince Home Secretary Sajid Javid to intervene and permit Billy access to the vital medication. In doing so, he made clear he was only acting because this was ‘a medical emergency’.

Although welcome, Mr Javid’s actions do nothing to address the fact that it was the Home Office’s outdated rules which were to blame for the deterioration in Billy’s health.

For almost a week, they left his GP unable to prescribe the medication that had helped to keep him well. Tragically, Billy’s is no isolated case. There are many like him.

Thousands of medical research papers make clear that medicinal cannabis can benefit cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, HIV/Aids sufferers and those with multiple sclerosis. The Home Office stance defies logic and denies help to thousands of people.

The only way medicinal cannabis can be prescribed here is through a complicated licensing regime. It takes months, sometimes years, of needless bureaucracy for every child like Billy to go through this complex and expensive process. There is no certainty of a positive decision at the end of it.

For the sake of patients, this must change. It would take a simple law tweak to scrap an absurd licensing regime by treating medicinal cannabis products like other medications.

We must move control away from the Home Office to the Department of Health and the Medicines and the Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

As a doctor, I understand the need for debate about wider drugs policy reform. But this should not be confused with Billy’s case, which has nothing to do with widening access to street drugs.

Permitting the use of medicinal cannabis is about improving quality of life for patients. We should all unite behind a change – now.

Dramatic U-turn in case of severely epileptic boy, 12, as he is allowed his medicinal cannabis | Daily Mail Online

 

[Badgers]

I am pro decriminalisation of all drugs and cannabis oil is a logical place to start for sure.

However I am confused as to why the mother travelled into the UK when it is illegal here? Did she just overlook it and then blame the 'evil home office' for risking her son's life? Hope they are not off to Dubai next.

 

[JuanTwoThree]

An aspect of the sheer bloodiness of this is that the UK manufactures the stuff:

The UK is the world's largest producer of legal Cannabis, UN body finds

 

[Badgers]

An aspect of the sheer bloodiness of this is that the UK manufactures the stuff:

The UK is the world's largest producer of legal Cannabis, UN body finds

I know this and we are a shit of a country.

Still seems that she risked the kids life. Was it to 'force change' or something?

 

[salem]

I am pro decriminalisation of all drugs and cannabis oil is a logical place to start for sure.

However I am confused as to why the mother travelled into the UK when it is illegal here? Did she just overlook it and then blame the 'evil home office' for risking her son's life? Hope they are not off to Dubai next.

I suspect this was a bit of a desperate play and that she rightly predicted that by bringing the absurdity of the situation to a wider audience it would help her son and others in the longer term.

She could hardly spend the rest of time in Canada so would have had to return at some point to continue her life. She could have done that without this oil or with it, the former would have been worse then the current situation surely? She may also have had some extra sent over in a vacuum pack too - we don't know.

A bit of civil disobedience can go a long way.

 

[JuanTwoThree]

Was it to 'force change' or something?

That might be a reason; the prescription had been allowed in 2017.

Sometimes I read some lunacy coming from the UK and I think to myself 'But it's Britain, not some crackpot weird place, surely someone will come to their senses at some point' and then I think 'Don't hold your fucking breath, John'.

eg

EU nationals fear Brexit will tear carers from their families

Home Office again.

 

[Badgers]

I suspect this was a bit of a desperate play and that she rightly predicted that by bringing the absurdity of the situation to a wider audience it would help her son and others in the longer term.

A bit of civil disobedience can go a long way.

Big stakes to play with?

That might be a reason; the prescription had been allowed in 2017.

But was not and she pushed it anyway

 

[salem]

Sorry, I just edited my post while you wrote that!

 

[twentythreedom]

Majid Nawaz on LBC yesterday absolutely ripped into this issue yesterday, exposing further the sickening hypocrisy of the govt. Worth a listen.

 

[Badgers]

Majid Nawaz on LBC yesterday absolutely ripped into this issue yesterday, exposing further the sickening hypocrisy of the govt. Worth a listen.

We all already know this ^

Like I said, if she was gambling on public support paying off or this administration seeing sense then it was still a fucking big risk.

 

[JuanTwoThree]

I can't work out the time line of this from the news stories but didn't she go to Canada just to get supplies while her son was in UK being deprived of the drug that worked according to his UK doctors? She didn't fly in with her son and the drug from a place where he was able to get it to a place where he wasn't. Unless I misunderstand the sequence of events.

 

[Badgers]

I can't work out the time line of this from the news stories but didn't she go to Canada just to get supplies while her son was in UK being deprived of the drug that worked according to his UK doctors? She didn't fly in with her son and the drug from a place where he was able to get it to a place where he wasn't. Unless I misunderstand the sequence of events.

I will try that when flying to Dubai and hope they see sense

 

[cupid_stunt]

I know this and we are a shit of a country.

Still seems that she risked the kids life. Was it to 'force change' or something?

Her GP had prescribed it on the NHS last year, but was ordered to stop doing so this year, hence she travelled to Canada to get new supplies, which she then declared at Customs challenging them to let her keep it or arrest her, so yeah there's an element of her wanting to force the issue.

Fair play to her IMO.

In 2017, he was prescribed the medication on the NHS. But in May this year, his GP was told he could no longer prescribe it.

Epileptic boy gets cannabis oil back