Source: spencerdailyreporter.com
In the aftermath of the Medical Cannabidoil Act, many families with children or other family members with intractable epilepsy are working through the process of getting the cannabidoil treatment that may have an effect in treating seizures. Of the oils that have been most effective, Charlotte's Web is the most well-known, developed by the Stanley Brothers in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
But a Des Moines company, Heartland Hemp, claims it may have a more attainable solution. Because their product is made from hemp, not cannabis, it is legal under federal and state law and is not affected the Medical Cannabidoil Act.
Boris Shcharansky, the CEO of Heartland Hemp, said his work recently has primarily involved sitting down with families and talking about his product and the deluge of information and opinion regarding hemp oil and cannabis oil as a medicinal product.
"I'm not here to heavily market a hemp extract," he said. "It's not necessarily my primary basis."
Heartland Hemp is approaching the hemp industry from several angles. Shcheransky noted he sits down with people, offers them information and answers questions they have regarding hemp CBD (cannabidoil) and cannabis oil. He also wants to generate support for reintroducing hemp as an agricultural crop in Iowa.
"It used to grow here," he said. "We want to build a grass roots effort and eventually get the support of the Farm Bureau for an industrial hemp bill in 2016."
Locally, Mike Heuck, who was active in the push for the Medical Cannabidoil Act last year and whose daughter faces daily challenges with intractable epilepsy, noted he and his family are "cautious."
"We are proceeding with caution," he said. "When it comes to this industry, the Stanley Brothers are seen as cutting-edge, and so far we've been working with them."
In the last week, Heuck noted he and his family received the Iowa Cannabidoil cards they needed in order to legally possess the product in Iowa. He said in the next month, his daughter will be ready to move forward with the next step of the process.
The journey to this point, however, has not necessarily been clear-cut.
"At first, you had to be a Colorado resident in order to get the oil," he said. "It's not hard, and I actually went out last summer and established myself as a Colorado resident. Then they were requesting tax forms for proof of employment in the state. We also needed a medical ID card that we didn't have yet. Then, all of a sudden, we get an email saying you no longer need the card, and then another email saying they can ship the product to you."
Three children are currently part of a formal study of a pharmaceutical-grade form of Charlotte's Web, overseen by the neurologist at the University of Iowa, who also agreed to work with Heuck's daughter. Informally, some of the other children this neurologist is working with will also be closely monitored, and their results recorded for future reference.
Heuck is also cautious, he admitted, because of the potential legal ramifications.
"Last summer a woman was arrested after giving Charlotte's Web to her daughter, in another state," he said. "The girl was doing so well, and the teacher asked what the difference was. It was unfortunate."
Because of that situation, he noted parents in the epilepsy community are more hesitant to share the results of similar treatments for their own children.
"We want to share as much as possible," he said. "But we are cautious. I can say there are things we're working on, and we have been talking with other families who have ordered the oil."
Any treatment, be it Charlotte's Web or another hemp oil, will have to be slowly integrated into his daughter's already intensive regimen.
"It will be a slow process for us," he said. "It could take a year. That's why we wanted to work with the neurologist, because her body's been on these other medications for 12 years. You can't just completely stop one over here and start one over there. You have to ease into it. But I'm anxious to try something. If we do get something going we want to be able to share that information with other parents."
The Medical Cannabidoil Act currently has a 2017 expiration date, and Heuck said he hopes "something has happened on the federal level" by then.
"Or something more permanent with the state, so it doesn't completely go away," he said.
Shcharansky said he is continuing efforts to work with families to gather information before deciding which course of treatment is right for them.
"There's a lot of misinformation out there," he said. "I understand, especially for a family with a child with a condition like this, a treatment of this nature could be completely life-changing. There are a lot of decisions involved."
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