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Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill in April legalizing cannabis oil to help treat seizures, but families are still unable to get access to it. A Wisconsin mother, desperate to stop her 2-year-old son's seizures, left the state to get it and has seen dramatic change in her son. Tristen Schultz' mother said he's had up to 60 seizures a day since he was 7 months old. Medication isn't working and left him with disabling side effects. "He's learned how to walk three times in his life, or he would start. They would put him on a med, and it would make him basically back to a 4-month-old," Tristen's mom, Michelle Schultz, said.
In June, Tristen was bowling with family at a fundraiser for his treatment. The treatment is cannabidiol oil, or CBD, an edible marijuana extract used to treat epilepsy. In April, the oil was legalized in Wisconsin. The law says it must be prescribed by a doctor and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. However, no medical facilities in Wisconsin are providing the oil. Desperate to heal her son, Michelle Schultz took him to another state for treatment. She said there was a positive outcome: the seizures have stopped. "He started to eat the second day, like actually pick up food and feed himself, which he didn't even do that before," Michelle Schultz said. "Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing? You hear that a lot and because of that I say I would love to figure out how to do it," Dr. John Whitcomb said.
Whitcomb specializes in holistic medicine and said he's willing to help families wanting to try the oil, but feels it may be impossible. "You have to get an FDA Investigational license. That's a very high barrier," Whitcomb said. He said just figuring out how to apply has been an obstacle. So WISN 12 News asked the lawmaker behind the bill about the roadblocks. "Why was the bill written the way it was?" WISN 12 News' Toni Valliere asked.
"We did what we did to get Republican support being that they're the majority party and to get the doctors, the medical community on board and to meet the federal requirements under the FDA provisions," state Rep. Robb Kahl said. But for parents waiting to try the oil, potential FDA approval can't happen quickly enough. "We understand the frustration, but again, I think people need to understand this bill's been in place for two months, and when you're talking about a medical process, and you involve the federal government along with the state government, it's never anything that's going to go quickly," Kahl said. "The last couple of days I have not feared losing him at the end of the day so much, but if Wisconsin doesn't figure it out soon enough, we might have to come back and stop the oil, because I can't afford to live out there," Michelle Schultz said.
For now, Schultz said she will have to leave the state to keep Tristen seizure free, but it's not something she can afford to do for very long. Schultz did not want to reveal the state where she is taking her son, however, WISN 12 News knows that 11 states have legalized the oil, but no other law is written like the CBD bill passed in Wisconsin. WISN 12 News reached out to several hospitals to get their take on the oil. Here are some of the statements received. Children's Hospital of Wisconsin's said in part, "We are committed to finding answers to the questions that remain about how to safely and effectively administer the oil." A statement from UW Health in Madison reads in part, "If a study were proposed and approved by the institutional review board and the investigator obtained an FDA investigational permit, UW Health would support that investigator's pursuit of a trial."
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Wisn.com
Author: Toni Valliere
Contact: Contact Us
Website: Although legal, people can't get cannabis oil for seizures in Wisconsin | Health - WISN Home
In June, Tristen was bowling with family at a fundraiser for his treatment. The treatment is cannabidiol oil, or CBD, an edible marijuana extract used to treat epilepsy. In April, the oil was legalized in Wisconsin. The law says it must be prescribed by a doctor and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. However, no medical facilities in Wisconsin are providing the oil. Desperate to heal her son, Michelle Schultz took him to another state for treatment. She said there was a positive outcome: the seizures have stopped. "He started to eat the second day, like actually pick up food and feed himself, which he didn't even do that before," Michelle Schultz said. "Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing? You hear that a lot and because of that I say I would love to figure out how to do it," Dr. John Whitcomb said.
Whitcomb specializes in holistic medicine and said he's willing to help families wanting to try the oil, but feels it may be impossible. "You have to get an FDA Investigational license. That's a very high barrier," Whitcomb said. He said just figuring out how to apply has been an obstacle. So WISN 12 News asked the lawmaker behind the bill about the roadblocks. "Why was the bill written the way it was?" WISN 12 News' Toni Valliere asked.
"We did what we did to get Republican support being that they're the majority party and to get the doctors, the medical community on board and to meet the federal requirements under the FDA provisions," state Rep. Robb Kahl said. But for parents waiting to try the oil, potential FDA approval can't happen quickly enough. "We understand the frustration, but again, I think people need to understand this bill's been in place for two months, and when you're talking about a medical process, and you involve the federal government along with the state government, it's never anything that's going to go quickly," Kahl said. "The last couple of days I have not feared losing him at the end of the day so much, but if Wisconsin doesn't figure it out soon enough, we might have to come back and stop the oil, because I can't afford to live out there," Michelle Schultz said.
For now, Schultz said she will have to leave the state to keep Tristen seizure free, but it's not something she can afford to do for very long. Schultz did not want to reveal the state where she is taking her son, however, WISN 12 News knows that 11 states have legalized the oil, but no other law is written like the CBD bill passed in Wisconsin. WISN 12 News reached out to several hospitals to get their take on the oil. Here are some of the statements received. Children's Hospital of Wisconsin's said in part, "We are committed to finding answers to the questions that remain about how to safely and effectively administer the oil." A statement from UW Health in Madison reads in part, "If a study were proposed and approved by the institutional review board and the investigator obtained an FDA investigational permit, UW Health would support that investigator's pursuit of a trial."
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Wisn.com
Author: Toni Valliere
Contact: Contact Us
Website: Although legal, people can't get cannabis oil for seizures in Wisconsin | Health - WISN Home
