Hundreds of families relocate to US medical cannabis haven

For some families whose members are afflicted with illnesses, the road to recovery is expensive, painful and unsure. These families extract all available resources while holding onto a tinge of hope, just to ensure their loved one’s recovery. However, for some families, the road to recovery is a thousand miles away in search of medical cannabis.

In 2014, NBC reported about Moriah Barnhart who traveled from Florida to Memphis in search of proper medical treatment for her two-year-old daughter, Dahlia, who was diagnosed with cancerous brain tumour. After careful research, Barnhart discovered possible medical marijuana treatment for her daughter in Colorado.

Today, many are moving to states where medical marijuana is legal and heavily researched. This is the case for Valkyrie and Mitch Schmidt, whose daughter is inflicted with multiple serious medical conditions. The Schmidts felt hopeless as they ran out of possible medical options for their daughter, that is, until they moved to Colorado.

A local Kansas channel followed the story of the couple’s three-year-old daughter, Emelyse. At a very young age, Emelyse has suffered intrauterine growth restriction, brain bleeding, hydrocephalus (treated with multiple brain surgeries called VP shunting), and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (or BPD). She has also been under medication for two seizure conditions: epileptic encephalopathy and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome or LGS which is another severe form of epilepsy.

Colorado is one of the 24 out of the 50 states in the US that have legalised marijuana for medical use, though it remains illegal on the federal level. Kansas, on the other hand, still has the SB-147 bill under review in a senate committee. The bill aims to authorise hemp treatments for seizure-causing disorders in Kansas.

With all the medications that this girl has gone through, doctors advised Emelyse’s parents to put her in hospice. The advice also came after doctors discovered her severely damaged pancreas when she stopped breathing after a tonsillectomy.

The Schmidts and Barnharts are not the only families to travel to Colorado in search of medical cannabis. The Guardian reported about the Forde family’s plight to Colorado for the same reason — medical marijuana. Tristan Forde, the two-year-old son of Yvonne Cahalane, suffers Dravet Syndrome, another severe form of epilepsy.

This time, the Forde’s are what some would call “international medical marijuana refugees,” because unlike the Schmidt’s who fled from Kansas to Colorado, Ford’s family had to travel 4,000 miles from their hometown in Dunmanway, Ireland. These refugees are a group of expats whose lives have dramatically shifted since they discovered the profound health benefits of medical cannabis.

Among the most sought after strain of marijuana in Colorado is “ Charlotte’s Web ,” named after a young girl who suffered a severe form of epilepsy. This high-CBD strain of marijuana contains high amounts of cannabidiol. Cannabidiol has a non-psychoactive component which responds well to patients suffering seizures.

“High levels of CBD with low THC are a lot safer than other drugs that may even damage internal organs,” said Med-X, Inc. CEO Matthew Mills in an interview . The company’s research and development thrust are on cultivating all natural marijuana products for medical use.

WebMD further explains that medical cannabis in Colorado contains low THC, an ingredient in marijuana that gives users a “high” feeling, but with high CBD, which has shown amazing effects on people suffering from frequent seizures.

To date, roughly 400 families have traveled to Colorado from different parts of US in search of medical cannabis. Although, the Guardian noted that a local Colorado organisation does not track international refugees.