50 kids under 18 prescribed medical marijuana in Oregon
GLADSTONE, Ore. – A mother is giving her 7-year-old daughter medical marijuana to help in the treatment of a rare form of leukemia.
Mykayla Comstock will undergo chemotherapy for the next three years. Her doctors diagnosed her with cancer this summer.
Her mother, Erin Purchase, decided she didn't want to give her daughter the anti-nausea and pain relief medicine a cancer patient would normally take.
While the whole house smelled like pot, Purchase and her boyfriend, Brandon Krenzler, insisted Mykayla doesn't smoke the marijuana; instead, they give her marijuana oil, one gram every day, injected into capsules.
Otherwise, she would take seven to 10 prescription drugs a day, Krenzler said.
"She is happier. She has more energy. She is eating like she used to. She doesn't have a lot of nausea," said Purchase. "Our first oncologist wasn't accepting of it. She felt it was inappropriate for Mykayla and pretty much any child."
While many may think it is inappropriate, it's not against the law. There is no age limit to be a medical marijuana cardholder in Oregon. For those under 18, children just need their parents' permission.
There are nine other patients under age 14 who are also enrolled in the state's medical marijuana program and a total of 50 children under age 18.
Purchase said she respects the views of those who disagree with what she's doing.
But, "what I say back to that, and feel strongly, is cannabis may be inappropriate for a 7-year-old, but ultimately cancer is inappropriate for a 7-year-old," she said. "If she wasn't using cannabis, she'd be using the narcotic pain relievers and anti-nausea drugs from pharmaceutical companies that every other adult would be using for cancer."
Purchase said her family is split over the issue. Mykayla's grandmother is strongly against it and so is her biological father in North Dakota. But Purchase said he doesn't have custody so he would need to go to court if he wanted to intervene.
Future Dopers of America
It is fortunate this child does not live in Douglas County because, if she did, she would likely not find a doctor supportive of her parents' decision. Doctors and nurse practitioners in Douglas County routinely refuse to honor patientsâ choice to use medical marijuana. This action is either borne out of ignorance of the scientifically documented benefits of cannabis, or, they are practicing âmoralsâ instead of medicine. This story illustrates that those who use medical marijuana are not just a bunch of potheads who want marijuana legalized just so they can get high. It is time that medical professionals in our community honor the rights of patients to decide for themselves (and their desperately ill children) whether or not cannabis should be a part of their treatment plan. There is an advocacy group formed in Douglas County who is documenting cases of medical marijuana users being denied mental health medications and medications used to treat chronic pain. Oregon Patient Rights Association (OPRA) findings show folks who want to have a say in their treatment plan are often terminated as patients abruptly and without being told the reason for this drastic action. Area healthcare providers are causing patients to suffer needlessly, and are hiding behind the lie that their âclinic would lose federal fundingâ if they treated patients who choose to use medical marijuana. Douglas County residents, who are having trouble with their healthcare provider refusing treatment and/or have been terminated as a patient, are encouraged to contact OPRA via email at: opra4dc@gmail.com and attend their next meeting, which will be held in room 311 of the Douglas County courthouse on Tuesday, December 11, from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. OPRA can also be found online at: www.facebook.com/OregonPatientRights
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