Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
The parents of a woman with intractable epilepsy who died this month in Lincoln hope their daughter's story will sway state senators who are still undecided about legalizing medical marijuana in Nebraska.
Megan Sharpnack, 27, went to bed May 2 after an uneventful evening, said her father, John Sharpnack.
She had tacos for dinner - one of her favorites - made color patterns with her Connect Four game - another favorite - and sat around and watched TV.
"She'd been doing so well lately," Sherry Sharpnack said of her daughter.
The next morning, "my husband went to wake her up, and she had left us."
The Sharpnacks haven't been given an exact cause of death, but they believe she suffocated after having a seizure while she slept.
They consider the timing highly ironic.
On Thursday, Nebraska lawmakers OK'd the state's first venture into legalized medical marijuana, approving a pilot project at the University of Nebraska Medical Center to treat patients who suffer from intractable epilepsy.
And state senators are considering whether to allow broader use of medical marijuana to treat other conditions, though not through smoking.
"It would have been nice to have had an opportunity to try it," Sherry Sharpnack said.
Megan's seizures started when she was 4 months old, a side effect of a now-outmoded whooping cough vaccine.
"It was just her hand shaking," her mother said. "And they progressed from there."
She had her first tonic-clonic, or grand mal seizure, at 18 months.
From there the seizures stunted her mental growth, locking the brain of a toddler inside the body of a physically frail but growing young woman.
Her parents changed their jobs to pay for her care and built a lifestyle around their daughter.
They tried about 10 medications. None completely stopped the seizures, and some packed powerful side effects, including acid reflux so bad it required surgery.
Medical marijuana is less risky - and in many cases more effective than pharmaceutical drugs, proponents argue.
But Gov. Pete Ricketts has called marijuana dangerous, and his administration cautioned state lawmakers against passing this year's broader medical marijuana bill (LB643), sponsored by Bellevue Sen. Tommy Garrett.
Marijuana shouldn't receive special treatment and should undergo the same examination as other drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the governor has said.
Time is tight in the Legislature, and senators have a week left to debate the bill before adjourning for the summer. Some have suggested holding off until next year.
"Do we want (more) blood on our hands?" Garrett said. "This is people's lives. ... That's what has driven me from day one."
Bellevue Sen. Sue Crawford's more limited measure (LB390), which would allow the UNMC study, is already on Ricketts' desk.
Crawford says UNMC is working with an FDA-approved vendor to obtain cannabidiol, the marijuana extract doctors there would use to treat seizures.
If Ricketts doesn't veto her bill, doctors could begin treatment soon after getting their hands on the drug.
"He has no idea the pain that these families are going through," Sherry Sharpnack said. "We have lost the opportunity to try this to see if it would improve the quality of life for our daughter."
But others haven't, she said.
"I really can’t find any justification for not giving it a try," said John Sharpnack. "After all the horrible things that we have tried, this seems a slice of Doublemint gum."
Each time Megan started a new drug, her family was warned it could “possibly do really good things — and possibly kill her," her father said.
"I think it’s quite important to have the opportunity to try different medications," he said. "And if you’re going to deny someone an opportunity, you better have a really good reason.”
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: After epileptic daughter's death, family urges legalization of medical marijuana : Lincoln, NE Journal Star
Author: Zach Pluhacek
Contact: zpluhacek@journalstar.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Lincoln, NE News, Sports : Journal Star
Megan Sharpnack, 27, went to bed May 2 after an uneventful evening, said her father, John Sharpnack.
She had tacos for dinner - one of her favorites - made color patterns with her Connect Four game - another favorite - and sat around and watched TV.
"She'd been doing so well lately," Sherry Sharpnack said of her daughter.
The next morning, "my husband went to wake her up, and she had left us."
The Sharpnacks haven't been given an exact cause of death, but they believe she suffocated after having a seizure while she slept.
They consider the timing highly ironic.
On Thursday, Nebraska lawmakers OK'd the state's first venture into legalized medical marijuana, approving a pilot project at the University of Nebraska Medical Center to treat patients who suffer from intractable epilepsy.
And state senators are considering whether to allow broader use of medical marijuana to treat other conditions, though not through smoking.
"It would have been nice to have had an opportunity to try it," Sherry Sharpnack said.
Megan's seizures started when she was 4 months old, a side effect of a now-outmoded whooping cough vaccine.
"It was just her hand shaking," her mother said. "And they progressed from there."
She had her first tonic-clonic, or grand mal seizure, at 18 months.
From there the seizures stunted her mental growth, locking the brain of a toddler inside the body of a physically frail but growing young woman.
Her parents changed their jobs to pay for her care and built a lifestyle around their daughter.
They tried about 10 medications. None completely stopped the seizures, and some packed powerful side effects, including acid reflux so bad it required surgery.
Medical marijuana is less risky - and in many cases more effective than pharmaceutical drugs, proponents argue.
But Gov. Pete Ricketts has called marijuana dangerous, and his administration cautioned state lawmakers against passing this year's broader medical marijuana bill (LB643), sponsored by Bellevue Sen. Tommy Garrett.
Marijuana shouldn't receive special treatment and should undergo the same examination as other drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the governor has said.
Time is tight in the Legislature, and senators have a week left to debate the bill before adjourning for the summer. Some have suggested holding off until next year.
"Do we want (more) blood on our hands?" Garrett said. "This is people's lives. ... That's what has driven me from day one."
Bellevue Sen. Sue Crawford's more limited measure (LB390), which would allow the UNMC study, is already on Ricketts' desk.
Crawford says UNMC is working with an FDA-approved vendor to obtain cannabidiol, the marijuana extract doctors there would use to treat seizures.
If Ricketts doesn't veto her bill, doctors could begin treatment soon after getting their hands on the drug.
"He has no idea the pain that these families are going through," Sherry Sharpnack said. "We have lost the opportunity to try this to see if it would improve the quality of life for our daughter."
But others haven't, she said.
"I really can’t find any justification for not giving it a try," said John Sharpnack. "After all the horrible things that we have tried, this seems a slice of Doublemint gum."
Each time Megan started a new drug, her family was warned it could “possibly do really good things — and possibly kill her," her father said.
"I think it’s quite important to have the opportunity to try different medications," he said. "And if you’re going to deny someone an opportunity, you better have a really good reason.”
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: After epileptic daughter's death, family urges legalization of medical marijuana : Lincoln, NE Journal Star
Author: Zach Pluhacek
Contact: zpluhacek@journalstar.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Lincoln, NE News, Sports : Journal Star
