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Title: Jeff Sessions’s War On Pot Goes To Court, Attorney General Will Fight 12-Year-Old With Epilepsy
Source:
FromThe Trenches
URL Source: http://fromthetrenchesworldreport.c ... -year-old-with-epilepsy/216564
Published: Jan 18, 2018
Author: Kate Sheridan
Post Date: 2018-01-19 05:32:03 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 2789
Comments: 55
A 12-year-old suing the federal government may have a whiff of adorableness. But for Alexis Bortell, who filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Jeff Sessions last fall, it’s a choice she had to make to save her life. Alexis has epilepsy, and Sessions has made it his mission to make it impossible for her to access the only drug that has kept her seizures at bay: cannabis. Alexis doesn’t remember her first seizure. But her father, Dean Bortell, does. “We were literally folding clothes, and Alexis was sleeping on the couch,” Bortell told Newsweek. “All of a sudden, I heard her make this shriek—I mean, it was a scream of terror,” he said. “I look over, and Alexis is stiff as a board, on her back, spasming.” After several months in the dark—at first, Bortell suspected his daughter had a brain-eating amoeba on account of headlines about them that summer—Alexis was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2013. Three years ago, Alexis began taking medical marijuana, and her seizures disappeared. But that treatment option is threatened by an aggressive federal crackdown on medicinal cannabis led by Sessions, who is also the acting director of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Her day in court—February 14, at a New York City federal courthouse—is fast approaching. Alexis won’t be there in person, but her lawyer, Michael Hiller, thinks the ruling will go their way. “We are very optimistic that the case is going to come out the way it should, which is that the Controlled Substances Act is going to be found unconstitutional,” Hiller said. Several other plaintiffs—a former professional football player, a veteran and another child—are also included. Alexis Bortell stands in a field in this undated photo.COURTESY OF THE BORTELL FAMILY The basic outline of Alexis’s story has been well reported: Horrible seizures forced her family to move to Colorado from Texas, where she could use products with compounds derived from marijuana. But due to the concentration of THC, also known as tetrahydrocannabinol, in one of the products she uses, Alexis is unable to cross state lines, board an airplane or set foot on a military base or in other federal buildings and lands. Biologically, Alexis’s problem begins in the left frontal lobe of her brain. Normally, brain cells communicate with one another using electrical and chemical signals. Epileptic seizures happen when those signals go haywire. Anyone familiar with epilepsy knows that’s a fairly muted description. These rogue cells can create something terrifying to experience or watch, and you can’t know when the next seizure will strike. It can be “frustratingly random,” Bortell said. These brain signals can also spark a long-term relationship with one’s local neurologist or hospital as patients and doctors figure out what is happening. But that’s only half the battle; controlling the seizures is the other. For many people with epilepsy, one of the various kinds of prescription drugs available will work. But finding the right one or the right combination can take time. “They try to go mild to wild,” Bortell said. At home in Texas, none of the mild stuff worked for Alexis. Giving two medications a real shot and having them both fail is usually enough for doctors to call a person’s epilepsy intractable; in other words, unresponsive to drugs. Alexis tried at least 20 different doses or combinations, her father said. She also experienced some extreme side effects from conventional medications. She had two final options in Texas: See if she was a candidate for surgery to remove the brain tissue where the seizures began or try one last medication, Felbatol. This drug carries a “black box warning,” the most serious kind the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will put on a label to flag extremely dangerous side effects. In this case, Felbatol has been associated with a serious bone marrow disorder and liver failure. The family decided on Felbatol. But on the way to fill the prescription, their pediatrician called them and suggested they try something else. Weeks later, the Bortells packed their bags and drove to Colorado, ready to try a different course of treatment: a tincture of cannabidiol (a compound found in marijuana that isn’t responsible for a high) and a spray with THC (the compound that is). The CBD tincture tastes “bad and earthy,” Alexis told Newsweek, but it’s been working. She still gets auras, the warning signs that a seizure is about to hit, but she hasn’t had a full-blown episode in the past three years. Her father says the only side effect is the constant threat of federal law enforcement. Alexis Bortell, left, and her mother stand in a hemp greenhouse in this undated photo.COURTESY OF THE BORTELL FAMILY Some science backs up Alexis’s treatment plan. Clinical trials have shown that CBD can be useful to treat seizure disorders, but we’re still learning why it works. CBD could be working along about a dozen different pathways and receptors, said Dr. Jerzy Szaflarski, the director of the epilepsy center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. (Coincidentally, that’s the same state university system from which Sessions earned his law degree.) Exactly how many might be related to epilepsy isn’t entirely clear. “The evidence for each and every one of those pathways is there but it’s relatively weak,” Szaflarski said. “It’s going to take a while before we sort this out.” The evidence is stronger for CBD as an anti-seizure medication than for THC, he noted. “It doesn’t mean that THC doesn’t work for seizures,” said Szaflarski. “It just means that we have much less data because we’ve been studying this much less.” Despite their utility, these products aren’t without risk, Szaflarski noted. The concentration of CBD in some products available on store shelves can vary from batch to batch. These drugs may interact with traditional anti-seizure medications, changing the amount of the drug found in a person’s blood. And some studies have linked early THC exposure to lower IQs and behavioral problems. But, Szaflarski noted, “the question is, Do these problems that we see that develop through the use of cannabis outweigh the risk of epilepsy?” For Alexis, the answer is clear: Her drugs are safer than having continued seizures. The government disagrees. It says marijuana has no medical applications whatsoever and is accordingly listed by the DEA as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act, first passed in 1970. That entire act is what Alexis, her co-plaintiffs and Hiller, her lawyer, are challenging. Hiller took the case pro-bono and has written a brief that, at 98 pages, is the longest of his career. The document lays out the basic reasons why he believes the act is unconstitutional. Specifically, the case claims the act violates Americans’ fundamental right to travel, as well as the Commerce Clause of the Constitution and the First, Fifth, Ninth and 14th amendments. Hiller believes the case could end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s impossible to say what the outcome of the case will actually be until a judge hears the arguments and makes a ruling. But while Alexis and her family wait for that outcome, they are on increasingly uncertain ground. On January 4, Sessions rescinded the Cole memorandum, an Obama-era directive to U.S. attorneys ordering them to focus on prosecuting major distributors and more serious marijuana-related offenses, such as selling to minors. The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment, renewed in December, is also set to expire on January 19. That amendment prevents the Justice Department from using its funding to keep states from implementing medical marijuana laws. That amendment is likely to be renewed, Hiller said. Senator Elizabeth Warren has also announced plans to introduce legislation that could have the same effect as the Cole memo. But that’s little comfort to the Bortells—a family that just wants to help their child use the one thing that’s worked for her epilepsy. “No one else is living memo to memo or administration to administration,” Bortell said. “I don’t think asking for my daughter to have that long-term plan for her life—I don’t think that’s asking too much.” A Scream of Terror
Out of Options
Safer Than Seizures
A Violation of the Constitution
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#16. To: misterwhite, Gatlin, GrandIsland (#15)
I really don't think you and Gatlin grasp the level of suffering by these hard-case epileptics. Some kids can have dozens of micro-seizures per hour. Adults, like the guy I knew, would have several grand mal seizures per hour. People like this, their lives simply are not worth living. So they resort to these truly toxic drugs or radical brain surgery just to get some relief and something like a normal life. But let them try to use CBD oil with 0.3% THC content? Oh, hell no, that would mean those damned hippies have finally won. Give it up. The Drug War is over, as far as medical marijuana is concerned. Hell, even Gatlin and GrandIsland are bent on profiting from their occasional speculation on a major Canadian medical marijuana corporation (Cronos).
Jeff Sessions is a toolbag. All kinds of sedition, domestic espionage and treason swirling around him, 0bama and Hitlery plotted a coup while tampering with a Presidential Election -- and as AG Sessions is focusing on THIS crap? He should funnel major resources and personnel into what REALLY important: PRESERVING THE REPUBLIC! Can anyone give me a good reason, a logical reason, a tactical reason why Jeff Sessions is still AG? What am I missing here?
It would preclude Trump from considering replacing him with Crispy Creme as A.G.
Many people suffer from a variety of illnesses, all the while waiting for some cure to become available. They all read anecdotal stories of some medicine that will help. Some country offering an operation. They're all desperate. I sympathize. I would be just as desperate. BUT, I would not be petitioning my government and insisting they make this drug/procedure legal for everyone simply because it might help me. That's the difference.
"This crap" being the enforcement of existing law. Yeah, why in the hell is the AG wasting his time enforcing existing law? Hmmmm. Because that's the essence of his job? What would you rather he be doing?
You just confessed to what your problem is,and I seriously doubt you even know it. You just love the idea of being a slave to some law telling you what you can and can't do,and punishing you if you "sin" by breaking the law. You honestly don't give a damn if a law is just or reasonable or not,all you care about is having laws to follow so you don't have to make up your own mind about right and wrong. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
I buy marijuana stocks and I also buy stocks in casket, funeral and cemetery companies. Thus, I “make a killing” covering both ends.
I wasn't complaining or trying to point fingers. I just thought it was worth pointing out that investing in a CBD company can't really be compared to trying to sell heroin or opiates to kids. I object to people trying to pretend CBD is heroin or possibly worse. As coincidence would have it, one of the regular writers wrote an update to his own sudden mid-life epilepsy. Out of the blue, he woke up after his first seizure and found he had dislocated and broke his shoulder. He's had surgeries, he's taking one of the epilepsy drugs with some side effects. AoS: The Cold Shoulder, October 2017 AoS: Aftermath of surgery and physical therapy, today I don't understand trying to deprive severe epileptics of a chance to take something that many other known epileptics say has helped them to lead normal lives and who are backed by their doctors on it.
It's dropped a little... but I'm still up on it because I bought in cheap. I'm the infidel... Allah warned you about. كافر المسلح
Yeah, I was watching it too. It's suffered a correction but may be poised for more growth at a slower rate.
I'm predicting between 13.00-20.00 a share by August. Canada goes legal weed June or July of 2018. I bought in just over 5.00 a share
I'm the infidel... Allah warned you about. كافر المسلح
It seems that much of their earlier price increase was based on the news of their big warehouse expansions and the news that Germany had legalized CBD and Cronos had the first big export deal made with Germany to supply them. I'm not sure when the German market opens to them, sometime later this year, I think. Cronos wants to be the big international brand name in CBD meds. That's the niche they're targeting, building on their success in Canada's meds market.
I generally regard anecdotal evidence collected in an informal and extremely casual manner to be hap hazard and therefore since it relies entirely on personal testimony...it is to be of very limited or no value due to any number of potential weaknesses. It has absolutely no scientific value because by its very nature it is prevented from being investigated and verified by any scientific method. This is especially true when only a few anecdotes are presented because there is a much greater chance that are unreliable due to being cherry-picked and are non- representative samples of any typical cases. It is human nature for people to have a cognitive bias to cause them to more likely remember notable an unusual cases rather than typical examples. We always hear from the ones who testify that marijuana stops seizures but we never hear from perhaps the thousands it did not. From the pot legalization promoters who parrot these few testimonies of unconfirmed successes, there is an attempt to make every one surmise marijuana will stop all epileptic seizures. I would be happy to learn if that ever happens....but I am never going to believe it from the unsupported testimony of a few. So, because of the way the information is gathered and presented, I find its reliability by any objective assessment to be in doubt. I am being told by the pot advocacy lords to accept testimony without having any verification and I am told I must believe the credibility of the individual presenting the testimony. This is something that goes entirely against my training and human nature....and it is something I simply cannot do.
Marijuana Treatment Reduces Severe Epileptic Seizures (Scientific American) A rigorous study validates a cannabis-derived treatment for a rare, drug-resistant childhood epilepsy Published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the findings stem from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study—the most scientifically rigorous type of investigation possible. “This study clearly establishes cannabidiol as an effective anti-seizure drug for this disorder and this age group," says principal investigator Orrin Devinsky, director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at New York University Langone Medical Center. “It certainly deserves to be studied in other types of epilepsy.” And you really expect me to believe them...ROTFLMAO.
Published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the findings stem from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study—the most scientifically rigorous type of investigation possible. “This study clearly establishes cannabidiol as an effective anti-seizure drug for this disorder and this age group," says principal investigator Orrin Devinsky, director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at New York University Langone Medical Center. Epileptics are not being "deprived". They're being told that those drugs are not legally obtainable in most states.
Published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the findings stem from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study—the most scientifically rigorous type of investigation possible. “This study clearly establishes cannabidiol as an effective anti-seizure drug for this disorder and this age group," says principal investigator Orrin Devinsky, director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at New York University Langone Medical Center. You omitted point out and stress that this was done by an “advocacy group” [their words, not mine] whose mission is ... Some advocacy groups have been accused of manipulation and in some instances have been found guilty of corruption, fraud, bribery, and other serious crimes. I am in no way saying or suggesting that is what is being done here. I am however strongly reminding your that just because you read something official looking on the Web does not make it true. In your case, it only makes believe more strongly what you already want to believe. I will pay no attention or give any credence to something an advocacy group has to say in during any efforts to influence public opinion to support the legalization and use of marijuana. You can, you do, and that is fine for you....you gullible asshole.
No advocacy group had any influence on this study. NYU Langone’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Centere At NYU Langone’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, excellence in patient care is our core mission. Our specialized doctors, nurse practitioners, clinical nurses, neuropsychologists, and electroencephalogram (EEG) technologists are dedicated to exploring the complexities of epilepsy and seizure disorders in adults and in children, and developing a comprehensive treatment plan that manages your symptoms and improves your quality of life. The Comprehensive Epilepsy Center is among the largest epilepsy treatment programs in the United States. We specialize in treating challenging forms of epilepsy. These are best addressed through collaboration, so we hold weekly conferences that bring more than 20 members of our team together to develop the best treatment strategy for you. Rules of Disinformation 19. Ignore proof presented, demand impossible proofs. This is perhaps a variant of the “play dumb” rule. Regardless of what material may be presented by an opponent in public forums, claim the material irrelevant and demand proof that is impossible for the opponent to come by (it may exist, but not be at his disposal, or it may be something which is known to be safely destroyed or withheld, such as a murder weapon). In order to completely avoid discussing issues may require you to categorically deny and be critical of media or books as valid sources, deny that witnesses are acceptable, or even deny that statements made by government or other authorities have any meaning or relevance. You're not being honest. Your claim that a group called "Realm of Caring" was responsible for this study is complete bullshit. In fact the only time the SA article mentions them is when they talk about Sam Riggio, who happens to be the director of operations for Realm of Caring and who has a child with epilepsy. But by all means - continue to post your lies - it's very educational to see your full-blown ignorance in action. Sessions needs to be removed from office for being a senile old fart.
In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
What is to prevent them from just writing a new law that exempts marijuana from being classed with heroin and other dangerous drugs? In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Small price to pay, eh? Yes it is,but it's still unreasonable. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Nobody is claiming it does. They are just claiming it can help control the seizures. Insulin doesn't cure diabetes,either. Are you ready to have it outlawed because it is dangerous for non-diabetes and it doesn't cure diabetes? In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
HorseHillary! You have to be a world-class fool to try to claim that epileptics don't die from seizures. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
We must have been reading different articles,then. Read it again. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
My father in law died of a seizure in 1994. He was about 54 years old. I really wish he had lived longer. He was a great guy. He worked 364 days a year literally.
Primarily because you are a bigoted fool that still believes the Reefer Madness crap you were fed as a kid. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Odd spelling of douche bag. Can anyone give me a good reason, a logical reason, a tactical reason why Jeff Sessions is still AG? What am I missing here? Unless someone close to him had blackmail material on important people in government,or someone important owes him a HUGE favor,it is a total mystery to me. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
I am very sorry to hear that. Let's hope sanity prevails,and the people that can be saved,are saved. In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Krispy as AG? Da Noize from that appointment would be so thunderous that not even Trump would defend it. LOVE to see either Joe DiGenova or Jay Sekulow.
Littering is also breaking the "law." You DO understand the notion of "priorities," right? What would you rather he be doing? For starters, how about assembling several cases against 0bama and Hitlery for election tampering, perjury, fraud, and treason? Or would you rather focus the AG's resources and energy of the critical issues of litter-bugging, pot enforcement, and targeting vehicles with overdue inspection stickers? By chance do you work at Dunder-Mifflin? Is this you??:
Odd spelling of douche bag. Yeah, I guess I was easy on him, wasn't he? Unless someone close to him [Jeff Sessions] had blackmail material on important people in government,or someone important owes him a HUGE favor,it is a total mystery to me. Thanks for the reinforcement. I find it hard to believe Sessions hasn't been blackmailed OR threatened. There can be NO good reason for having recused himself right out of the gate and allowing this whole Fake Dossier and "Russia!!" meme to waste everyone's time). And now this targeting such a petty issue as pot? It's bullshit. The Deep State and the Dem-GOPe have gone rogue, no one has been charged with collusion, espionage/sabotage of Trump and the country. But Sessions is RIGHT THERE, making sure that the nation doesn't become one giant stoner. Sessions has made a mockery of the DoJ, clearly helping cover up the entire GPS Fusion case as well as cover Hitlery's and 0bama's monkey business. The question is whether Trump has negotiated a deal with the Deep State and those two Traitors in exchange for "permission" to enact other political actions elsewhere. Otherwise, Sessions is a D-Bag and himself guilty of obstruction of justice and sedition (IMO of course.)
Sure. The justice department can pursue that while the DEA is busting marijuana growers and traffickers. Two different agencies.
But then who investigates and enforces the law for the "Investigators" and Alphabet LE who have been partnering with Coke Dealers FOR OVER 30 YEARS?? Ever heard of "Mena"?? Incredibly, AG Jeff Sessions has made marijuana a priority OVER Hitlery and 0bama AND the Deep State shenanigans. And the rest of us aren't supposed to notice. Wanna explain how THAT works??
A priority? Where did you read that?
So now it's your position that Session's obsession with Pot laws are a figment of imagination? (nice try)
Sessions wants to enforce the law. Period. If anyone was obsessed it was Obama who bypassed Congress and the American people and refused to allow enforcement.
If so, why is he IGNORING The Law by not pursing the prosecution of Hitlery and 0bama for a hundred different SERIOUS violations? Look -- prosecution of jaywalking or pot is NOT the same as for Sedition and Treason. Unless YOU believe it is...
Yes, but that's a whole different red herring issue.
#17. To: Deckard (#0)
#18. To: Liberator (#17)
Can anyone give me a good reason, a logical reason, a tactical reason why Jeff Sessions is still AG? What am I missing here?
#19. To: Tooconservative (#16)
I really don't think you and Gatlin grasp the level of suffering by these hard-case epileptics.
#20. To: Liberator (#17)
and as AG Sessions is focusing on THIS crap?
#21. To: misterwhite (#20)
"This crap" being the enforcement of existing law.
#22. To: Tooconservative, misterwhite (#16)
Gatlin and GrandIsland are bent on profiting from their occasional speculation on a major Canadian medical marijuana corporation
I am an equal opportunity swing trader.
#23. To: Gatlin (#22)
#24. To: Tooconservative (#16)
Cronos
#25. To: GrandIsland (#24)
#26. To: Tooconservative (#25)
#27. To: GrandIsland (#26)
#28. To: Tooconservative (#23)
#29. To: Gatlin (#28)
I am being told by the pot advocacy lords to accept testimony without having any verification and I am told I must believe the credibility of the individual presenting the testimony.
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#30. To: Deckard (#29)
Realm of Caring, a cannabis research, education and advocacy group
Research conducted by pot legalization advocacy group….LMAO.
#31. To: Gatlin (#30)
(Edited)
Realm of Caring,
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#32. To: Tooconservative (#23)
"I don't understand trying to deprive severe epileptics of a chance to take something ..."
#33. To: Deckard (#31)
Realm of Caring,
#34. To: Gatlin (#33)
(Edited)
I will pay no attention or give any credence to something an advocacy group has to say in during any efforts to influence public opinion to support the legalization and use of marijuana.
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#35. To: Gatlin (#33)
(Edited)
You omitted point out and stress that this was done by an “advocacy group” [their words, not mine] whose mission is ...
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#36. To: Deckard (#0)
#37. To: Tooconservative (#1)
I would expect a narrower ruling in favor of granting exceptions to existing law, not striking down the entire Controlled Substances Act which would have plenty of negative consequences with opioids and other addictive substances.
#38. To: misterwhite (#2)
"But due to the concentration of THC ... in one of the products she uses, Alexis is unable to cross state lines, board an airplane or set foot on a military base or in other federal buildings and lands."
#39. To: A K A Stone (#4)
Pot doesn't cure epilepsy.
#40. To: Gatlin (#10)
Epilepsy itself, that is having seizures isn’t what kills someone with epilepsy
#41. To: Gatlin (#11)
But she didn’t bother to take those, from what I read in the article.
#42. To: sneakypete (#40)
#43. To: misterwhite (#14)
I see no valid reason why marijuana should be an exception.
#44. To: Liberator (#17)
(Edited)
Jeff Sessions is a toolbag.
#45. To: A K A Stone (#42)
My father in law died of a seizure in 1994. He was about 54 years old. I really wish he had lived longer. He was a great guy. He worked 364 days a year literally.
#46. To: Tooconservative (#18)
#47. To: misterwhite (#20)
"This crap" being the enforcement of existing law. Yeah, why in the hell is the AG wasting his time enforcing existing law?
#48. To: sneakypete (#44)
("Jeff Sessions is a toolbag.")
#49. To: Liberator (#47)
For starters, how about assembling several cases against 0bama and Hitlery for election tampering, perjury, fraud, and treason?
#50. To: misterwhite (#49)
Sure. The justice department can pursue that while the DEA is busting marijuana growers and traffickers. Two different agencies.
#51. To: Liberator (#50)
Incredibly, AG Jeff Sessions has made marijuana a priority OVER Hitlery and 0bama AND the Deep State shenanigans.
#52. To: misterwhite (#51)
A priority? Where did you read that?
#53. To: Liberator (#52)
Session's obsession with Pot laws
#54. To: misterwhite (#53)
Sessions wants to enforce the law. Period.
#55. To: misterwhite (#53)
If anyone was obsessed it was Obama who bypassed Congress and the American people and refused to allow enforcement.
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