Medical marijuana should be decriminalised and the drug cleared for use on a variety of health conditions, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.
The call comes after Mernda couple Cassie Batten and Rhett Wallace were arrested last month for administering their three-year-old son Cooper with cannabis to treat his epilepsy.
Epping police raided the family’s home the day after their story was televised on Channel Seven’s Sunday Night.
Foundation chief executive Graham Shears said last week there was enough anecdotal evidence to suggest cannabis was an effective treatment for epilepsy.
“A large number of people have kids with severe epilepsy where synthetic drugs don’t work,” he said.
“Parents are looking for anything to stop their child’s seizures. It’s very unfortunate people are being prosecuted for doing what is in the best interests of their child.”
The most recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report on the subject of decriminalising marijuana found 70 per cent of people supported a change in legislation permitting the substance’s use for medical purposes.
Cherie O’Connell, of Mia Mia near Kyneton, has been treating her nine-year-old daughter Tara’s severe epilepsy with alcohol-based tinctures and cannabis oils since January last year.
“There was nothing else left – we had no other options,” Ms O’Connell said. “In December, 2012, she was classified terminal; now she is healthier than ever.”
Tara, who would have hundreds of epileptic seizures in a day, had only 10 seizures the first day she was administered with cannabis. Within 10 days of first using the substance, she was seizure-free, and she hasn’t relapsed since April last year.
There were also significant improvements for Cooper Wallace. Within 15 minutes of his first dose, the Mernda boy held his head up and began tracking objects with his eyes for the first time.
Ms Batten said her son’s health had transformed after a lifetime of seizures that could last for up to an hour and a half. Ms O’Connell is lobbying the government to legalise and regulate the marijuana industry.
“I want to go into the chemist, hand over my script and be able to pick [medical marijuana] up,” she said.
She said the absence of regulatory bodies for medical marijuana meant backyard crops of the plants, possibly laced with chemicals, would flourish.
A spokesman for state Health Minister David Davis said cannabis was illegal because the drug caused more harm than benefits to users and the broader community.
“Current evidence available strongly suggests that the balance of harms and risks does not support the use of cannabis for medicinal or recreational purposes,” the spokesman said.
