Man Arrested for Treating His Daughter with Cannabis Oil

Time For Change

kqed.org

An online campaign has been started in aid of Adam Koessler, a man who was recently arrested for treating his seriously ill daughter with cannabis oil. He’s currently awaiting trial. His 2-year old daughter had recently been diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer which develops from ‘neuroblast’ nerve cells along the back of the chest and stomach. Since these cells are left over from in utero development, it exclusively affects young children.

THC (the active ingredient in cannabis) has already proven to be an extremely effective cancer treatment in parts of the world where the law permits it, but it’s had particularly positive results both against neuroblastic and lymphoblastic cancers. Sadly for Koessler, the overwhelming evidence in favour of this treatment (and the improvements he saw in his daughter while she was getting it) didn't stop him from being arrested by the Australian fuzz. He’s currently out on bail and awaiting further charges.

Encouragingly, the online response to this has been overwhelming and entirely in Koessler’s favour. A campaign on Change.org has already reached over 140,000 signatures, only needing another 8300 in order to hopefully have the charges thrown out of court. The petition references another case from last summer, in which parents Cassie Batten and Rhett Wallace were threatened with legal action after giving similar treatment to their toddler Cooper for his severe epilepsy. At one stage it was suggested that the child might have been taken away from them. Thankfully in that case the online supported saved them from any further persecution.

More and more nations are beginning to steer towards medicinal marijuana. In the US it’s legal in 23 states, with New York, Minnesota and Maryland joining the fold only last year. Here in the UK there is some, strictly sanctioned legal access to prescribed cannabis treatments, but it’s so disproportionately expensive (the average patient would have to spend upwards of 4 grand per year to properly implement it) that it practically renders it null and void. In Australia, not only is medical marijuana completely prohibited, but the drug is also federally regarded in the same category and heroin, MDMA and mescaline.

Before his arrest, Koessler claimed that he’d seen extremely positive results. “What we saw when Rumer was given the medical cannabis oil was nothing short of miraculous.” He wrote “Her cancer ridden little body was alive again — Rumer had almost instant quality of life…Her skin color came back, her eyes were sparkling again…We were certain after seeing these results that her recovery was entirely possible.”

mirror.co.uk

Callum Davies

Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @CallumAtSMF

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