AKA Brandi Ortega
Reflections ►
The Unstoppable , Undefeatable Marry Pottins ,
AKA Brandi Ortega
by Dolores Halbin , contributing writer
“ I was saving my son !”
Imagine
My favorite subject to write about for THE EVOLUTION Magazine is when I highlight Missouri women as I have watched them grow , expand , and become change agents for healing and successful businesswomen . Women like Army Veteran Alice Mangan , RN , owner / operator of Alice CBD Stores in Joplin ( see her story in the 12 / 2020 issue ) and Webb City . Women like Michelle Poindexter , who opened Rural Route Hemp and a Gym , The Fitness Hub in Adrian , ( see her story in the 12 / 2022 issue ).
This month I am thrilled to enlighten our readers about another Missouri woman and shining star entrepreneur , Brandi Ortega , owner / operator of the newly opened Marry Pottins CBD Store in Archie , MO . Like many of our cannabis entrepreneurs , she has a stunning cannabis backstory .
I first met Brandi in the Fall of 2019 ( photo on left ). She had wasted no time getting her then 10-year-old son Dane his medical marijuana card . He was in the fifth grade and on board with switching from pharmaceuticals to plant-based medicine . I have found the children of cannabis to be brilliant and well-informed , which gives me faith in their future . Soon , lies will no longer be sustainable and big pharma will no longer be allowed to kill us .
Parents of special needs kids must have a relationship with the school nurse to manage medications during the school day , so Brandi went straight to the school nurse with a copy of Dane ’ s medical card . She informed the nurse of the family ’ s decision to use the newly approved medical marijuana and take her son off pharmaceuticals . However legal it was , she could not get his CBD administered in school .
In 2019 the educational infrastructure for cannabis did not exist , and parents like Brandi Ortega were left on their own with huge learning curves ahead of them — well , not entirely on their own .
Canna Moms — Educating the Educators
Seeing a need among the moms of cannabis kids to normalize the plant , Tanya Roth of Parkville , MO , formed a support group , Canna Moms . Wearing their Canna Mom sweatshirts , Canna Moms had food and coat drives and picked up trash around the Kansas City Zoo , all to erase the stigma against cannabis medicine .
Brandi called the group for support as she met with school administrators . Dane , in fifth grade , had been suspended for “ being high at school ” as the child suffered through the withdrawals of the pharmaceuticals with the help of CBD .
Sadly , all these dedicated educators did not see that day for what it truly was . That October day in 2019 was the first time in five years , since being diagnosed at five with various mental challenges , this child was off drugs .
There were about 20 of us who came with our Cannabis is Medicine signs and Canna Moms shirts to the school while the meeting happened . Media was there , and cannabis and kids were briefly highlighted . That was four years ago , but the battle has continued relentlessly . So much so that this past semester Brandi gave up on public schools and is now homeschooling Dane , allowing the kid to focus on his education vs . attempting to educate the seemingly unteachable school officials about his needs and the benefits of plant medicine .
Lethal Pharma Soup
According to the FDA , the Black Box classification is used for drugs with the most lethal side effect ( SE ), death . The drug soup prescribed for this 10-year-old by physicians in 2019 is a stunning array of potentially lethal drugs , with all but two having Black Box warnings .
It is difficult to wrap our heads around how this toxic mix was okay for a child , but cannabis , which has never killed anyone , is forbidden . This is Dane ’ s med list acquired with Dane and his mother ’ s consent from the pharmacy they were using in 2019 :
1 . Divalproex Sodium 250mg : Black Box ─ Side Effects ( SE ) death from liver failure
2 . Vyvanse 30mg : Black Box ─ SE death from anorexia and anxiety
3 . Guanfacine HCL 4mg ─ SE Mental depression and severe irritability 4 . Aripiprazole 5mg : Black Box ─ SE death by suicide 5 . Omeprazole 30mg ─ SE Low bone density 6 . Latuda 30mg : Black Box ─ SE death by suicide among children * 7 . Paliperidone ER 3mg : Black Box ─ SE increased risk of death 8 . Sertraline 25mg : Black Box ─ SE death by suicide * 9 . Clonidine HCL ER 0.1mg ─ SE Anxiety , hallucinations , and depression 10 . Risperidone 0.5 : Black Box ─ SE death by seizures , tardive dyskinesia 11 . Dexmethylphenidate HCL ER 10mg ─ SE Death , psychosis , abuse , and dependence .
* The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has listed suicide as the second leading cause of death among children , second only to bullets .
48 May 2023