We couldn’t stop here though if we wanted to save more children. We had to change a few laws. Fearing having my children taken or my husband losing his job as a school teacher this was a huge risk. I knew once it left my lips our life as it was, was over. Beginning of 2015, I contacted Senator Lopez, who I knew was against medical marijuana and had campaigned against it. In my mind, I thought that if he was on our side then everyone else would be. I got him to come over to our house. I laid out all of Rylie’s medical records and showed him what she had been thru, then explained how we had been giving her cannabis oil. He still had reservations. I had Rylie speak to him about how cannabis makes her feel compared to narcotics and how she feels without cannabis. She explained that with it she can concentrate and has better grades in school because she is not in pain or having seizures. She proudly showed him her Honor Roll Report Cards. I asked “you can report us or help us?” He began to cry and said “I’ll help you.” He wrote Rylie’s Law. Senator Lopez, Rylie and I fought for Delaware to have a pediatric medical marijuana law. Then, in 2016, we fought for pediatric medical card holders to be allowed
to have their cannabis oil on school property. Both of these laws, Rylie’s Law and SB181, passed with unanimous votes which is unprecedented!
Today Rylie is considered stable and her next scan is in December 2017. She is looking forward to the next stage which is correcting her teeth and jaw. She has a Classical Piano Scholarship and still receives Honor Roll grades. She has many goals in the medical cannabis industry concerning helping sick children so we are sure she will be involved in some way. You may even see Rylie and her foundation at a Medical Cannabis Conference with me!
As for me, I continue to stay active as a policy advisor, speaker and pediatric cannabis consultant. There are two legislation changes I am hoping to get thru this session for pediatrics concerning Autism and lifting tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) limits. I am the Women Grow Market Leader for Delaware which is a platform I can use to educate in our state. I’ve been honored to speak at conferences in Colorado, Israel and Pennsylvania. I’ll be on an amazing panel of parents at the Science Conference in Portland Oregon this August. All of this is in the hopes of giving families better options they may not have had before. This became a fight for the ones who are at the mercy of others’ decisions…our children.
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