A six-year-old girl and her parents were at the Nova Scotia legislature today to lobby for the province to cover the cost of using cannabis oil to treat her seizures.
Kaylee and Nick Jones and their daughter Sophie were at the house of assembly to present a petition with 1,368 signatures in support of Nova Scotia covering the cost of CBD-based medicines for children with life-threatening conditions.
The little girl was born with a rare chromosome abnormality that causes epilepsy, ataxia, migraines, anxiety and low muscle tone.
Kaylee Jones, 29, says the family has to spend about $400 a month on the CBD oil — which she says has helped reduce her daughter’s seizures dramatically compared to conventional medications.
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Researchers at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children in 2018 reported reductions in seizures of children with Dravet syndrome, a rare genetic form of epilepsy, who received cannabis oil.
However, Nova Scotia Health Minister says her department is awaiting the results of a review by Health Canada before approving funding of the medicine.
Kaylee Jones says Sophie’s previous regime of anti-seizure medications had negative side-effects that led to regular hospital visits in the first three years of her life.
She says the CBD-based medicines have controlled the frequency and duration of her seizures to the point where she no longer needs trips by ambulance and has fewer migraines, less anxiety and more mobility.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2023.