by Kathy Scott | Featured Contributor
As a mom, I wonder sometimes about how much I need to own it on various issues affecting my teen, especially as it relates to marijuana. With the marketing of “medical” marijuana in my home state of Georgia, I’m put at a disadvantage because I know that she’s getting word that weed is harmless. Some of that information is coming directly from our own legislators.
In March, the Georgia Legislature passed HB 1, a bill titled “Haleigh’s Hope Act,” which makes it legal for “ physicians, acupuncture, physician assistants, cancer and glaucoma treatment, respiratory care, clinical perfusionists, and orthotics and prosthetics practice, so as to change certain provisions relating to the use of marijuana for treatment of cancer and glaucoma; to provide for regulated medicinal use of cannabis and derivatives thereof to treat certain conditions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.”
Did that just say “acupuncture…clinical perfusionists and orthotics?” First of all, a clinical perfusionist is a medical professional who runs the heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery. I know because my father died during heart surgery and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want the guy running the machine taking a dose of “medicinal cannabis.” I know, it’s supposed to be for the patient, but as I review the diseases covered in HB1, I don’t see anything that relates to a perfusionist. What about orthotics or acupuncture? I’m not a medical doctor, but then again, I’m pretty sure neither are all the members who drafted HB1. And here’s the weird part – our Georgia Legislature has approved a drug to be used for the treatment of the following diseases: Cancer, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Seizure disorders related to diagnosis of epilepsy or trauma related head injuries, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, Mitochondrial disease; Parkinson’s disease, and Sickle cell disease, against the advice of our own FDA.
How is it that the Georgia Legislature can assign cannabis oil to treat these diseases when the FDA has not? To listen to parents who were pushing for HB1, you would think they had some scientific backing that promotes the use of the drug based on clinical trials. Nope.
Kelli Kirkley Hopkins has a child that she desperately wants to save from the pain of seizures. I get it, but as I read her blog – nomatterwhathappens-kelli.blogspot.com – I’m not reading anything that gives me any inclination that cannabis oil is the miracle drug she proposes. She posts on December 9th that her daughter had been on the drug for seven days. Here’s day four:
Day 4 was a horrible day. She had 3 seizures lasting 50, 22 & 32 minutes. She had to have rescue meds to get them stopped. Deep breath here because I was unsure what was up. Michala typically has increased seizures with the full moon, rain and cloudy days. It was almost a full moon and a big storm was coming over the Rockies.
Then on December 24:
Yesterday was hard day for Michala. She had two bad seizures. One early in the morning and the next while we were out and about. So thankful Mike was there for them. He continues to be my rock. This morning she has already had two really bad hard seizures. It’s time for an increase in her cannabis oil. Please be in prayer with us as we increase her dose this morning.
On Jan. 9, 2015
We adjusted Michala’s cannabis oil recently to see how it would help. With the other formula she was still having wonderful cognitive improvements, better seizure control but still some break through seizures. Right now we are seeing some frustration and agitation as her body is adjusting to something new. Not at all unusual for her or with any type of medication change. We have gone back to a lower dose to see how her body responds. She still has plenty of room for adjustment if needed. We are hoping to see more and more improvement with this in the next few days as her body adjust and the medicine gets in her system.
Is cannabis oil causing the seizures to become worse? The children using it already have seizures so it’s tough to separate the results. What I do know is that 50 miles away from the Georgia State Capitol’s debate in March, an exchange student ingested a chocolate bar with THC and had a seizure. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
For its part, the FDA is adamant about its stance on the drug: “The FDA has not approved marijuana as a safe and effective drug for any indication.”
To understand what the Georgia Legislature has done, consider LiveScience.com’s reference to today’s THC, “The intoxicating chemical in marijuana is tetrahydracannabinol, or THC. According to research from the Potency Monitoring Project, the average THC content of marijuana has soared from less than 1 percent in 1972, to 3 to 4 percent in the 1990s, to nearly 13 percent today.”
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that long-term marijuana use can lead to addition, “Over time, overstimulation of the endocannabinoid system by marijuana use can cause changes in the brain that lead to addiction, a condition in which a person cannot stop using a drug even though it interferes with many aspects of his or her life,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
I will let you decide whether cannabis is harmful. It seems like public opinion is driving it anyway, but from a logical standpoint, I see it as no different as any other substance that affects the brain. I’m just trying to understand how America got to this point and what the representatives in my home state of Georgia were thinking.
You decide. Own it for your kids and when you do, ask them what they think about “medical” marijuana. I think you’ll be shocked at what you hear including the belief that it cures cancer.
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Me and My 1000 Girlfriends, That’s Who!
Women’s Party of America brand
Kathy Scott launched Me and My 1000 Girlfriends, That’s Who! in 2011 as a Facebook community of women poised to assist each other when asked to create and distribute emails, phone calls or letters. City council members, senators and governors were recipients of communication including Florida politicians interested in creating controversial 2011 Teacher Merit Pay Legislation, which planned to tie teacher salaries to students’ grades. The move would have hurt some underperforming low income areas where many teachers most wanted to teach, but would be unable to do so with the low pay rate. The legislation was hotly debated with 1000 Girlfriends doing their best to communicate to legislators. The law was later vetoed by Governor Crist.
Scott can be heard every Wednesday evening at 7pm ET at the Women on the Move Blog Talk Radio program. She recently launched her clothing and premium design – Women’s Party of America available on her Website under the Shop tab. Her success mantra is: Failure is not an option. Connect with 1000 Girlfriends on Twitter and at Facebook.
One Reply to “Georgia Legislators Ignore FDA and Approve Cannabis Oil by @1000Girlfriends”
Robin
Kathy Scott should have done a better job of research and a less dishonest job of sharing the Hopkins story. She is clearly writing from an uninformed and biased pov. Here are two other excerpts from Kelli Hopkins’ blog that demonstrate that even on the “hard day” mentioned above, Michala was doing BETTER than she’d been doing on anti-seizure meds, in terms of number and intensity of seizures. Below is an excerpt from two weeks later, in January, and a more recent post, from July, in which Kelli explains that Michala is OFF the harsh drugs. To beliieve that there is something inherently safer about lab-produced chemical compounds versus naturally grown chemical compounds reveals an ignorance on Ms. Scott’s part too blatant to try to correct; hopefully anyone reading her article will be more open-minded. Excerpts from Kelli Hopkins blog:
thursday, january 08, 2015
Cold in Georgia
So it seems Mike is being blamed for bringing the cold back to Georgia from Colorado. I for one am thankful for the blue skies, sunshine and warmth today in Colorado. I think the cold in Georgia is so ya’ll will sympathize with me when I am whining about being cold. This too shall pass right? I have to say being in Colorado makes me more thankful for things at home that I too often take for granted. Praying God continues to mold us as He uses us where He has us.
We adjusted Michala’s cannabis oil recently to see how it would help. With the other formula she was still having wonderful cognitive improvements, better seizure control but still some break through seizures. Right now we are seeing some frustration and agitation as her body is adjusting to something new. Not at all unusual for her or with any type of medication change. We have gone back to a lower dose to see how her body responds. She still has plenty of room for adjustment if needed. We are hoping to see more and more improvement with this in the next few days as her body adjust and the medicine gets in her system.
I am not sure how much I have shared about the specifics of what she is now doing on the cannabis oil. We have always talked to Michala through everything we have done, asked her questions even if she wasn’t able to respond and had conversations with her.
As we dress her we tell her what we are doing. When we put her shirt on her she would try to help put her arms in. Now more times than not when we get her shirt over her head she puts her arms in all by herself. She has never used her right arm much and had trouble getting it in her shirt. Now it’s like she realizes she has a right arm and uses it. She even reached for her cup twice with her right hand the other day. Also when dressing her we tell her we are going to put deodorant on her. We help her lift her arms so we can apply it. Now when she sees the deodorant in our hand she will raise her arms. She sees it, the message gets to her brain and her brain reacts correctly.
We have read and heard stories of how cannabis oil heals our brains and can help development. To see it actually happen is incredible.
We have always given Michala hugs, love &’kisses and told her what we were doing. Now she does it on her own. Every morning when Marlee Anne wakes up she sits down in front of Michala and Michala wraps her arms around her, hugs her and gives her a kiss. Sometimes Marlee Anne will say squeeze me tight (this is something Granmama always said to us) and Michala will squeeze her.
I am sure there are things I am leaving out. Oh yes! Laughing appropriately. Whenever we are watching something or Marlee Anne is telling a joke (if it’s funny) Michala will laugh at just the right times even before one of us laugh.
monday, july 13, 2015
First week off seizure medications.
The week prior to starting cannabis oil Michala was on some very strong seizure medications that had horrible side effects. During that week she had 62 seizures that totaled 25 hours and 25 minutes. In addition to the seizure medications she also had rescue medicines to help interrupt or stop the seizure if it was too hard or lasting too long. During that week she had to have her rescue medication. The thing about those is when they stop the seizure they also knock her out.
This is the first week Michala has been completely off pharmaceutical seizure medications. She has only had 10 seizures that lasted a total of 16 minutes.
posted by kelli at 9:12 am
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