2-and-a-half-year old Cash Hyde is the state of Montana’s youngest medical cannabis card holder and his parents argue that the medicinal dose of weed helped him fight and beat a brain tumor. So, if it’s safe for a 2 year old to smoke it, is it time to legalize?? Read more after the jump…
[FP]–The boy’s father, Michael Hyde, gave his thoughts on his sons medicinal use of the drug, saying:
“I believe that you know Cashy’s with us for a lot of reasons, one of them I would have to say is the power of prayer, one he’s a walking miracle and the other one is he is a patient of medical cannabis, which has I think greatly benefited his battle.”
The father watched drugs prescribed by his doctors make his son hallucinate and stop his heart. According to Michael, medical cannabis helped rebuild his son’s organs that were damaged from the chemo, helped with his appetite, and helped him sleep. He says:
“I watched Cashy not be able to eat for over 40 days, live off nothing but fluid intravenously to the point where he couldn’t lift his head up off his pillow, I realized along the way in this journey that there is a quality of life that a lot of people do not have, and it’s because of the drugs that they’re given.”
Montana has over 28,000 medical cannabis card holders, but 51 of them are under the age of 18, which may sound shocking to some, but is actually a very small percentage.
Montana Medical Growers Association Missoula Chapter Director Tayln Lang explains:
“When I see the number 51 and we’re in a state of a million people that’s a fraction of a percentage and even with the 28,000 people that are on the program, it’s still a fraction not even 1%, so the number is really really small.”
The Medical Marijuana Act outlines the guidelines for a minor to obtain a card by explaining they shall:
“issue a registry identification card to a minor if the custodial parent or legal guardian for the minor signs and submits a written statement that the minor’s physician has explained the potential risks and benefits of the medical use of marijuana; the custodial parent or legal consents to the medical use of marijuana by the minor; agrees to serve as the minor’s caregiver; and agrees to control the acquisition of marijuana and the dosage and frequency of the medical use of marijuana by the minor.”
As the Missoula Underage Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator, Brandee Tyree disagrees completely and argues:
“The THC will interfere with concentration, learning, problem solving, short term memory, all the things that kids need especially when they’re in school and trying to learn. When you have a child that’s high at school basically they’re not learning so everything they’ve learned at school is then forgotten because they were high.”
