Mother of epileptic boy will not get confiscated cannabis oil back
Home Office minister rules out return of possibly life-saving item to Charlotte Caldwell
The mother of a boy who has up to 100 epileptic fits a day has been told by a government minister that potentially life-saving cannabis oil confiscated from her at Heathrow will not be returned.
Charlotte Caldwell was not cautioned when she was stopped by customs officers trying to “openly smuggle” the substance into the UK from Toronto. She then went to the Home Office to meet the minister of state, Nick Hurd.
She has vowed to obtain more cannabis oil to help her 12-year-old son, Billy, for whom she said it has proved to be an effective treatment.
Last year, Billy became the first child to be prescribed medicinal cannabis oil on the NHS. He then reportedly went 250 days without a seizure. However, his GP was later ordered by the Home Office not to renew the prescription or face disbarment.
Speaking at the time, Dr Brendan O’Hare said there was an “ethical issue” with preventing Billy from accessing medicinal cannabis because “the reduction in his fit frequency is huge”.
“I’ll just go back to Canada and I’ll get more and I’ll bring it back again,” she said. She described the substance as “a small bottle of oil that’s keeping my son alive” and said “my son has a right to have his anti-epileptic medication in his country, in his own home”.
MPs and experts condemned the move and said it highlighted the deep injustices people face due to Britain’s outdated drug policy.
Caroline Lucas, a vice-chairwoman of the all-party parliamentary group for drug policy reform, said: “Rather than cracking down on parents who are trying to help alleviate the suffering of their children, we should be legislating according to the evidence and giving people the treatments they need.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Home Office is sympathetic to the difficult and rare situation that Billy and his family are faced with,but our authority must be obeyed, even if a child has to die.
“Whilst we recognise that people with debilitating illnesses are looking to alleviate their symptoms,the law is the law and this child's death may change this law .
theguardian.com
