Cannabis oil row: Boy ‘improves’ as UK relents
A TYRONE woman at the centre of a political storm after cannabis oil for her son, who suffers with epilepsy, was seized by British authorities last week has said that his condition improved yesterday after taking the drug.
It comes just a day after the British Home Secretary allowed him to have an emergency bottle of the oil.
Charlotte Caldwell, 50, from Castlederg in Co. Tyrone, uses cannabis oil as anti-seizure medication for her 12-year-old son, Billy, who has severe epilepsy and can have up to 100 seizures a day.
‘Billy is improving this morning… he had his first dose yesterday at 2.30pm and he had his bedtime dose last night. I don’t want in any way to declare that Billy’s medicine is a miracle...but it’s definitely controlling his seizures,’ she told Sky News yesterday.
She said it should be legally prescribed as a treatment for epilepsy.
Tyrone MP Órfhlaith Begley, who is close to the family and has been making representations to the UK government on behalf of the family, said the case illustrated the need to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland so that new legislation can be introduced to permit the use of cannabis oil for medical purposes. ‘This case highlights the need for legislative reform... We’ve seen the need for that, and I suppose reform in the North here,’ she said.
Last week, Charlotte was stopped at Heathrow Airport by customs officials who confiscated two bottles of cannabis oil she was attempting to bring into the UK from Canada.
Following extensive pleas to the British government, Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced on Saturday that he would be using his powers to urgently issue a licence to treat Billy with cannabis oil. However, only one bottle of cannabis oil was returned to Charlotte and it can only be applied to stabilise Billy while he is in hospital in London.
The family are trying to persuade the Home Secretary to relax the regulations to allow Billy to have the cannabis oil administered at his home in Tyrone. Speaking on Sky News yesterday Charlotte said Billy’s condition had improved since taking the cannabis oil.
Ms Begley said: ‘This is an issue that will be a matter for the Department of Health and we’ve said many times now that the legislation is completely outdated: old laws that need reform, that need to be brought to the 21st century and also there’s people throughout the North and throughout the whole of Ireland who are suffering as a result of not being able to avail of medicinal cannabis. So we need legislative reform sooner rather than later.’
She added that she had raised the importance of the case with Northern Ireland Secretary, Karen Bradley. ‘When I met with Karen Bradley in London two weeks ago, I had put it to her that this case highlights the need for the institutions to be up and running more than any other case... We need Stormont up and running to get legislative reform through.’
In the Republic of Ireland, cannabis products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, are available in very limited circumstances following the granting of a special licence from the Health Minister. So far, six patients have been granted licences to use these cannabis products.
Health Minister Simon Harris is in the process of establishing a medicinal cannabis access programme
‘Definitely controls his seizures’ Only one bottle was returned
for several conditions including spasticity with multiple sclerosis, intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy.
Access is also provided for cases of severe, refractory (treatmentresistant) epilepsy that has failed to respond to standard anticonvulsant medications.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health told the Irish Daily Mail yesterday that an expert group had been appointed to draw up clinical guidance for healthcare professionals in the use of products containing THC.