Last month we wrote about the Oultan family from Nova Scotia and their struggle to treat their daughter’s epilepsy with cannabis oil. Their fight is coming to an end as they can finally give their daughter the treatment that they want.
The Oultan’s daughter, Morgan, suffers from epilepsy and autism as well as being born with multiple brain abnormalities. After trying a slew of conventional medicines, they wanted to try something different for their child. “We’d exhausted all other pharmaceutical treatments, and she wasn’t a candidate for surgery. We had basically run out of options,” mother Chantelle said.
The family had little trouble obtaining a prescription for the oil, but since their child was under provincial care, this was what caused so much difficulty for them. They signed custody over to the province in order to receive full time care, which they say was one of the most difficult decisions they ever made. Currently, they will be allowed to gain back custody over their child, even though she will remain in provincial care. The Nova Scotia Department of Community Services will still pay for the care, but any other expenses for the child are left with the parents.
Last week, the parents were given permission to use medical cannabis oil as a treatment. “They’re not really consenting to it, but they’re not standing in our way. Until all the ‘T’s are crossed and all the ‘I’s are dotted, and full parental rights are back in our hands, I don’t think we’ll have a full celebration until that’s done.”Oultan noted.
This small victory might just set a precedent in Canada for parents who wish to use cannabis oil treatments for children that suffer from severe conditions such as epilepsy. The effectiveness of cannabis oil for such conditions has caused many families in the U.S. to relocate to Colorado simply so that can access this medicine for their children.