Modesto Parents Fight Proposed Marijuana Ordinance, Claims it Helps Son with Seizures
MODESTO-
Monday, the Modesto City Council will consider new restrictions for medical marijuana grow operations . The proposed restrictions would limit medical marijuana grows to indoor, single-family homes without children.
The Reynolds family says such restrictions are making it harder for them to treat their 18-month-old son .
“Abusing any drug is not right, but when you’re not abusing them and you’re using them to help your children, I think that’s a totally different thing,” Katharine Reynolds said .
Katharine’s son Case has a rare disorder called 5Q14.3 Microdeletion Syndrome. In his specific case, he is missing 15 genes in his 5th chromosome . That, combined with epilepsy, caused the toddler to have hundreds of seizures per day.
“Some of them hurt him. So it’s hard to see him go through that . It’s a lot to take in,” Katharine said.
The Reynolds say they tried several different prescriptions that had undesired results. When Case was 8 months old, his parents started him on a regimen of medical marijuana oil also known as CBD .
“If you would have seen him a year ago, he was a completely different kid,” Mike Reynolds said.
“He actually responds to our voice now, and he’s just much more at peace . He’s not as frustrated or irritable as he was,” Katharine said.
Case’s father, Mike Reynolds, says he makes trips to Oakland at least once a month to purchase CBD for his son .
“We’re not into growing, it’s a whole other science. But not everybody can afford what they need for their kid,” Mike said .
Mike told FOX40 some families do grow medical marijuana and turn it into CBD for their disabled children.
“That way it’s cheaper for them,” Mike said .
He said Modesto’s medical marijuana restrictions make it harder for families like his own to treat disabled children.
Modesto’s Narcotics Enforcement team reports that they receive 50-100 complaints from residents about pot problems during growing season.
Some say outdoor marijuana grows attract criminals.
“I get that there’s people abusing it, I get that there’s problems but at the same time, there are people that really don’t. I would say we’re probably the polar opposite of what you think about cannabis,” Mike said.
Modesto’s Planning Commission will present a report at a Modesto City Council meeting Monday night. They are encouraging public comment. City council would still have to adopt the proposal in order for new restrictions to take effect.