After a large dump of Colorado snow
I was out shoveling and talking with my neighbor. He said he was preparing to
travel in the snow to Colorado Springs. “Are you crazy”, I said. The conditions
were not great for a 130 mile drive. He was heading to the Stanley brothers’
dispensary to get his son the cannabidiol (CBD) therapy Charlotte’s Web. They
have been using this therapy with their son, who has a disorder that is
responsible for seizures, for well over a year. The results have been amazing!
His seizures have been dramatically reduced. He had close to 100 seizures a day
and now is down to 7 or less a week. His motor skills have improved and his
quality of life has greatly improved.
My brave neighbors have been in
this tough battle for a long time and now because of 5 brothers that are not in
it for the money, are able to enjoy more fully, life with their son. The Stanleys started their quest in 2011 when
they crossbred industrial hemp with marijuana to produce Cannabis sativa L
strain. This strain has a very small percentage of THC and a greater percentage
of CBD. THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that gets you “high”
and is not the cause for the reduction in seizures. CBD (cannabidiol) is the
ingredient that is attributed to the anti-seizure activity. The Stanleys
announced in September 2013 that they were able to consistently produce the
purified oil extract with a THC content of less than .3%. The Stanley’s company CW Botanicals is working
hard to keep up with the demand. Many families have had to pick up and move to
Colorado where it is legal to use this treatment. It’s too bad that many other
states have turned a blind eye to the fact that this therapy does not get you
high but has the ability to change the lives of many children and adults.
Many of the states and the federal
government that blockade this treatment do it because “there is not enough
scientific evidence” and there are only “anecdotal health claims”. The definition of “anecdotal” is “based on
reports or observations of usually unscientific observers”. Well hearing the
stories from my neighbor and reading of thousands of more families that have
been positively impacted by the Stanley’s therapy I call their observations
pretty damn reliable! I call BS on the bureaucrats!! Granted that this therapy
does not work for everyone does not mean it should be kept from all!!
University of Colorado Anschutz
Medical Campus has been running an “Observational Clinical Trial” since
September 2014 and will be concluded this month. This study is aimed to distinguish
between “responders” and
“non-responders” to the therapy. Once they have been placed in one of the 2
groups they are trying to determine the differences of the genetic make-up that
would make an individual have a higher propensity to respond to Charlotte’s
Web, thus making it an easier decision for families to try it.
The American Medical Association
has finally come around to the medical benefits of marijuana and American
Epilepsy Society moved forward with a study. We need to keep this momentum
moving forward and keep on the politicians advocating for our well-being
and not the well-being of the deep pocket pharmaceuticals who fund their
campaigns.
Cheers to the Stanley brothers and
their great work!!
I could go on for pages but my
understanding of this blog thing is to keep it short. Please research this more
and be an activist!!
Please check out these videos:
This is the story of Charlotte Figi
the one for whom the therapy is named
This is the story of the Stanley
brothers and CW Botanicals:
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