I’m tired of waiting.
ABC interviewed us in April. They were going to run a story about Alex’s situation, and it was going to be aired nationally, not just locally. I wasn’t going to say anything here until we had an air date.
But I’m tired of waiting.
I don’t know what happened. Maybe somebody got scared by the controversial situation, maybe our interview didn’t give them the sound byte they needed, maybe they just legitimately haven’t had time to get it fully production-ready. I don’t really care at this point. I don’t even know if I want the story to air now.
One problem with not airing quickly is that things change so fast. At the time, I felt that a lot of blame lie on the state for not having good information about medical marijuana and for not enforcing its medical marijuana laws in the group home Alex lives. I also felt that we needed better medical laws, and that legalization, though important, wasn’t the most pressing matter to me.
Today I still blame the state for a lot of the information aspects, but I realize why the home won’t dose Alex. The recent raids in California have shown that the feds will put all kinds of pressure anywhere they want without regard for the patients in need. Because some people are abusing a system, they’ll use that as the excuse they needed to shut it down for everybody.
Also, because of these events, I no longer believe in medical marijuana legislation. We either fully legalize or keep letting the government decide everything for us. Who is sick enough to get medical cannabis? Who provides it? Novartis? Pfizer? Perhaps both… but I am willing to bet it won’t be something we’re allowed to grow ourselves.
So even if they do air Alex’s story, my current state of mind will not be represented.
The Discovery Channel, on the other hand, is taking the controversial stories ABC won’t. They aired Weed Wars recently, and I discovered it just featured a father giving his child medical marijuana for seizures. Bravo to Discovery for taking on such a controversial subject!
I wish it were Alex’s story, of course, but it’s still a great way to get people to understand that cannabis is a really good thing. I want people to see the good in cannabis, and then see Alex’s situation, because I want people to see that prohibition is doing harm to children like Alex. What if cannabis could help all the kids with self-injurious behaviors? What an impact that could have on the lives of tortured parents.
I don’t know how the rest of Weed Wars will play out, but I think it’s a big step for the network to take, and I applaud them.
Ahh– I see that you are familiar with Weed Wars! I sent you an email (via your contact page) a few hours ago recommending that you watch the show; I didn’t see this post before I sent the email. Sorry for the redundancy! But I completely agree with you. I think the show is absolutely fantastic for presenting this issue in an educational and informative way, and for sharing Jayden’s story.
All the best to you!
I am a special education teacher in California and I see, too often, overmedicated children on prescription drugs prescribed by doctors. Some children are on so many different medications the parents cannot even keep them straight. I fully support what you are trying to do with your son. I hope that one day the government will realize that for some, medical marijuana can change lives and even save lives. I wish you and you family all the best.
Thanks. It’s amazing to me that cannabis is so shunned when we’re okay with putting these children on other drugs we know are extremely dangerous. Alex was on Amitriptyline for a while, and his doctor (obviously not the one who had prescribed it) pointed out to us that the difference between a therapeutic dose and a fatal overdose was too small for him to feel comfortable with that medication sticking around unless we had a good reason to keep it.
Obviously we had it removed, but why is it even an option when cannabis is not?
Hi, I saw that your son also has tuberous sclerosis so I found this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYHbyajzcXw. It’s the doctorstv show. It shows a new surgery to remove tumors in brain associated with TS. Has your son’s doctor’s done an MRI? That is the test that would show tumors. My son is severely autistic and self injurious like your son, but my son doesn’t have tuberous sclerosis. Yet, whenever a non-verbal severely autistic person has any comorbid condition, it is imperative to rule out underlying or undetected issues related to condition that may be fueling or triggering the SIB. Your son may be in constant PAIN and discomfort from TS tumors. I”m so sorry you are going through so much suffering. I pray things will get better. Your son is adorable. I know this is very stressful for all of you. Be strong. I have posted videos on You Tube with account name cdfoakley. If you need to talk or leave me a message please don’t hesitate. I would love to offer any support and tips. God bless you all. Hang in there.