Hemp Bill Hearing 2/17/15

Owen and I returned to Topeka last week for a hemp bill hearing on the House side. This bill would not legalize whole-plant medical-only cannabis, but it would legalize three or four high CBD strains that could potentially really help Owen. And since whole-plant legislation seems so far down the road for these lawmakers in Kansas, this is really our only option currently.

The hearing experience was a bittersweet one. Owen and I were sitting in the front row right behind the testimonial podium. We were directly in the House committee's line of sight. During a testimonial, Owen had a pretty bad seizure. I was fortunately holding him, so I quietly consoled him as I always do while he fell asleep. After the person testifying at the time was finished, the committee had a chance to ask questions. Rep. Kevin Jones from Wellsville publicly asked me if Owen had a seizure a couple of minutes ago. He was speechless. His face dropped when I replied "yes." He couldn't find any other reply other than, "I'm so sorry. I don't know what else to say. That was just really difficult to watch."

From that moment on, I felt the entire committee's eyes on Owen. They witnessed five more seizures in his sleep in the remaining 30 minutes or so of the hearing. A few of them approached Owen and I after the hearing, introduced themselves, acknowledged they had witnessed his seizures, and offered their support and empathy. Though I absolutely do not want Owen to struggle with seizures, I am at least grateful that the committee saw firsthand what this kid endures on a daily basis.....and I hope that vision stays with them as they vote on this bill.

http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article10547738.html

http://cjonline.com/news/state/2015-02-17/house-weighs-bill-allowing-medicinal-use-low-thc-pot-extract