Earlier this year, the state of New Jersey made strides by giving those with severe illnesses access to medical marijuana, but for some, it has not accomplished enough. [onethird] Image of Vivian courtesy of photos.nj.com [/onethird] [twothirds_last] Vivian Wilson, a 2 1/2-year-old suffering from Dravet syndrome, has been granted a medical card as she collected […]
Earlier this year, the state of New Jersey made strides by giving those with severe illnesses access to medical marijuana, but for some, it has not accomplished enough.
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 Image of Vivian courtesy of photos.nj.com |
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Vivian Wilson, a 2 1/2-year-old suffering from Dravet syndrome, has been granted a medical marijuana card as she collected the mandatory three doctor’s notes. The Wilson family of New Jersey has found that medical marijuana has eased and helped in Vivian’s treatment, albeit they have fallen victim of New Jersey’s shortcomings in the approval for expansion of medical marijuana strains.
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Many epileptic diagnoses are similar in prognosis, but Dravet syndrome is an extremely detrimental form of intractable epilepsy that begins in infancy. Children with Dravet syndrome face a higher risk of SUDEP (sudden unexplained death in epilepsy) as well as a laundry list of associated conditions which need to be properly managed (statistics show us the mortality rate is very high, from 15.9% to 18%).
This form of epilepsy can be helped with marijuana strains with a higher cbd percentage versus thc percentage, and what New Jersey has designated as their ‘CBD Strain’ falls short. This family fought to receive the proper medical treatment for their toddler, only to be presented a strain with a low percentage of CBD, the most beneficial part of marijuana’s makeup, a lack thereof will not prove effective. Currently, New Jersey only offers strains to be smoked – not in edible form. This in itself can deter those who may benefit from its use by forcing patients to smoke.
Gov. Christie’s response to the recently opened bill to allow NJ residents to order their specific treatments from out-of-state:
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| Image of Gov. Christie courtesy of bloomberg.com |
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“I am done expanding the medical marijuana program under any circumstances… And the program works fine for people who are truly ill.”[2]
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But the Wilson family refuses to waste precious time, as their child may not be able to survive on the possibility to attain the bare minimum.
They are uprooting from the state of New Jersey to live in Denver, Colorado, where Vivian can receive the help she dearly needs. With a grand gesture of $10,000 from Magical Butter, their relocation expenses were taken care of and they are well on their way to the possibility of a healthier and happier life. Furthermore, Garyn Angel, owner of Magical Butter, has personally contacted them to help convert an ounce of marijuana (dispensary-bought, of course) into butter for Vivian.
Learn more about CBD and its benefits.
Sources:
1. “Dravet Statistics.” DravetData.com.
2. Remo, Jessica. “Wilson Family Leaving State After Fight For Marijuana For Toddler Comes Up Empty.” Patch.com. 29 Dec. 2013.