Medical cannabis turns to charity to help poor patients get needed treatment

Advocates of medical marijuana are turning to philanthropic campaigns and charity drives to make the drug more accessible to patients who cannot access them, due to lack of funding, information, and/or government authorisation. Non-profit organisations and mothers are among those leading the charge to ensure that young children, war veterans, or those who simply do not have the necessary economic means, do receive the cannabis drug that can help treat their medical condition. According to Lifehack’s summary of the studies about the medical advantages of medical marijuana, the drug has been used to slow down the spread of cancer cells, deter the onset of Alzheimer’s, decrease bodily pain and inflammation, and reduce epileptic seizures.

However, the legality (or lack of it) in certain areas has hindered the patients who do need the medical cannabis drug from receiving them. CNN Money reports that only 24 states in the US have approved the legalisation of the growth, development and distribution of cannabis either as a medicinal or a recreational drug. Obtaining the drug for medical purposes is actually an uphill battle in New Zealand, says The New Zealand Herald . New Zealanders suffering from conditions like epilepsy and cancer have to ask permission from the country’s health department to purchase cannabis at a subsidy; if they are turned down, which is the rule than the exception, these patients have to shoulder the total cost of the drug when they buy it from the private sector, which can cost them $1,000 a month.

One ray of hope emerges in the recently launched non-profit organization Medical Cannabis Awareness New Zealand (MCANZ), which aims to raise money for an initial 10 patients who are not able to afford the drug. The funds raised will also be used to increase awareness about the medical benefits of medical marijuana. In time, MCANZ hopes to become recognised as a thought leader on the subject, and any forthcoming information drive will enlighten the public about the advantages of the drug while responding to their concerns about risk and safety.

Fundraising is also the solution that the Illinois-based Education to Grow organisation is resorting to in order to disseminate accurate information about medical cannabis as well as increase access to it for war veterans who are hard-pressed to pay for their own drugs. Many of these war-weary former soldiers are suffering from cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. While they can approach the local hospital for treatment, out-of-pocket expenses for prequalifying documents like fingerprinting and registration may stop them cold. According to Central Illinois Proud, Ben Rediger and his team from Education to Grow will ease the veterans’ financial burden by holding a fundraising event at the Metamora Fields Golf Clubs on May 10.

Fundraising as an alternative is closely linked with the urgency to disseminate accurate information about medical cannabis, its rigorous farm-to-store process, and the way it can address medical conditions that are difficult to treat. Support for a drug like cannabis can be forthcoming especially from the government officials if there is enough public groundswell and backing from the people, especially the patients and the families, will snowball if truths about the drugs are broadly promoted.

One increasingly popular online magazine, The Marijuana Times , is setting the record straight on all things medical cannabis. Published by health and wellness company Med-X, Inc., it gives the readers a fresh and engaging perspective on the proper, legal, and healthy way to grow cannabis, as well as thoughtful analyses of how the product can improve their lifestyle and boost the financial and industrial development of their community.

Med-X, Inc.’s crowdfunding campaign has also invited the participation of newbie investors, experienced businessmen, and cannabis proponents who might find themselves profiting one day from the cannabis industry’s national revenues, which are expected to surpass $37 billion in four years’ time.

The mothers in CannaMoms will certainly welcome an increase in supporters, given the difficulty of finding both funding and legal authority to obtain cannabis for their children suffering from epilepsy and brain tumours. ABC Action News initially reported that CannaMoms is joining Give Day Tampa Bay, a 24-online crowdfunding internet campaign, both to raise funds for children with cannabis-treatable medical conditions as well as push the state’s ongoing drive for cannabis legalisation.

However, the group's 501(c)(3) status was still pending with the IRS when CannaMoms applied with Give Day, which Give Day did not realise until its final review. Give Day said because of the pending status, it could not allow CannaMoms to participate this year, but would encourage the group to sign up in 2017.

Moriah Barnhart, a mother of a five-year-old girl undergoing radiation therapy for a brain tumour, speaks for all her fellow nurturers when she says, “ "I will do anything and everything I can to try and prevent not just losing Dahlia, but her losing her childhood."

Barnhart and many others like her are not alone in their desperate quest to find a medical solution for their loved ones’ dilemma. As non-profit organisations and other philanthropic campaigns enlist in their cause, it may only be a matter of time before medical cannabis can finally enjoy open and broad distribution to the patients seeking for it.