7-year-old Oregon girl treated with medical marijuana

PORTLAND, Ore.Mykayla Comstock, a 7-year-old girl suffering from leukemia, is one of Oregon's youngest medical marijuana patients.

Mykayla's mother says she gives her daughter marijuana pills to combat the effects of chemotherapy, but her father, who lives in North Dakota, worries about the effects of the drug on her brain development.

The girl was diagnosed with leukemia last spring.

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The Oregonian reports her mother treats her with a gram of cannabis oil daily.

Mykayla's mother credits the drug for the leukemia's remission.

The girl says the drug helps her eat and sleep but also makes her feel "funny."

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Oregon law requires no monitoring of a child's medical marijuana use by a pediatrician. The law instead invests authority in parents to decide the dosage, frequency and manner of a child's marijuana consumption.

The Oregonian reports that 52 children with a qualifying medical condition are currently served by the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program. Pain, seizures, nausea and cancer are some of the conditions treated.

This isn't the only state treating children with prescription medical marijuana. Last May, the Associated Press reported 44 medical marijuana cards were issued in the state of Michigan. The American Academy of Pediatrics told the AP at that time it did not have a policy on medical marijuana, but was working on one.

Medical marijuana is currently legalized in 18 states in addition to Washington D.C., with Massachusetts being the most recent state after its voters enacted legislation during the November elections.

[cgsarebeast]

KIWIMOA sure about that?
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6630507.PN.&OS=PN/6630507&RS=PN/6630507
http://norml.org/news/2005/05/26/pot-compound-protects-against-alcohol-induced-brain-damage
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1253627/
http://www.jci.org/articles/view/25509
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8155-marijuana-might-cause-new-cell-growth-in-the-brain.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15030397
http://healthland.time.com/2011/07/19/study-marijuana-not-linked-with-long-term-cognitive-impairment/
http://budfacts.com/243/new-study-proves-that-marijuana-increases-brain-cell-formation/
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/page4
http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1003/374/Govt_Study_Proves_THC_From_Cannabis_Destroys_Leukemia,_Breast_And_Lung_Cancer_Cells.html
http://www.nowpublic.com/thc_marijuana_helps_cure_cancer_says_harvard_study
http://www.labnews.co.uk/news_archive.php/987/5/cannabis-destroys-cancer-cells/
http://phoenixtears.ca
http://hempvision.tv/hollywood-actor-larry-hagman-beat-cancer-with-medical-marijuana/
http:// http://www.examiner.com/article/ca-scientists-prove-marijuana-fights-aggressive-cancers-human-trials-soon
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/marijuana-and-cancer_n_1898208.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1159836

[kiwimoa]

I was impressed that the father is so astute about the almost definite brain damage that will occur from use of marijuana. Yes he is correct and pays attention to the news, unlike the majority of people making comments here. Marijuana's damaging effects, especially on the developing brain are well know and have been confirmed very strongly recently.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/11417/20120809/marijuana-brain-damage-memory-learning-drug-habit-addiction.htm

Marijuana Use Causes Brain Damage Confirmed

Scientists have confirmed the long-held suspicion that frequent heavy marijuana use damage the brain's memory and learning capacity.

Australian researchers have showed for the first time that the earlier people start their marijuana habit, the worse the brain damage.

[HumboldtPatient]

Do you work for a one of the PILL FACTORIES. Of course if you take the active parts out of plant and and some gel and dye and put it in a capsule (so the shareholders make millions) it is ok. I am using edible MJ products instead of 60mg morphine and 45 mg instant release oxycodone. I traveled for 2 mo to another state where I was stuck using opiates and can't sleep on them. When I came back I had to go 2 weeks no opiates because my body was becoming ADDICTED and used pot chocolates w very few opiates. Most kids get introduced to drugs by pills (more dangerous and easier to get and just a BIT MORE DEADLY.) Also prices droppedall time low for illegal grows out here. A pound cost 2500-3500 last year now w legalized prices dropped to 1500 maybe 2000 at best (search for 215 under for sale under humboldt ca craigslist). Of course we all know legal substsances like alcohol and cigarettes have NO HARMFUL SIDE EFFECTS. (Oh ya you make shareholders millions again and pot is too easy to grow it is a weed which if people had brains we would use for paper instead of trees and fabric instead of cotton (sails on ships were always made of hemp because it is so much more durable than cotton, in fact rigging cost more than ships did back in sailboat days, pirates wouldn't steal ship just sails and hemp rope because more valuable and MUCH easier to transport). But of course legal marijuana would hurt the logging, cotton, and pharmacy profits while giving FARMERS a useful profitable crop to grow. ADAPT CHANGE OVERCOME YOUR FEARS.

[rebeccachad]

It's time for our country to acknowledge the benefits of medical marijuana outweigh any side effects or any argument against legalizing this miracle drug. It doesn't have to be legalized in its smoking form, we now can extract the chemicals that are most beneficial. The FDA will allow and insurance companies will pay for morphine, oxycontin, oxycodone, etc. which are very addictive and kills thousands of patients every month, but our law makers don't see that marijuana is far more safe and many times much more effective. Regardless if marijuana is legal or not, it's so readily available through the black market not legalizing this medicine is simply keeping drug dealers rich, our prisons full, and the loss of billions of dollars in tax revenue that the US could truly use to help pay down our national debt. Not to mention the thousands of jobs, redirect the resources used to fight the war on drugs.

Would someone please put together an estimate of how much money could the legalization of marijuana in all 50 states generate in a similar tax scale used for tobacco products, the costs for imprisonment (court costs, buildings, police, etc) on an annual basis? No, the money isn't the deciding factor for legalizing this medicine, but it surely helps. Lastly, I've never seen anyone who took medical marijuana act nearly as impaired as using alcohol. Lets move on and join the other states who are reaping the benefits of this medicine. Hell, Washington, DC has legalized this product. How backwards is that???? We need everyone to get educated about the pros and cons and push this forward on a Federal level.

[HavasuJoe]

Mykayla is not having chemo or radiation treatments anymore. She has not been for a while. These articles make it sound like Brave Mykayla's mother Erin and her boyfriend Brandon give Mykayla MMJ for pain from chemo. Not true, Mykayla has been in remission for a while and no longer has treatment. Erin and Brandon give this little girl the equivalent of one quarter once of "GREEN" pot every day. They are doing this for fame and fortune. Brandon most likely does this to legally support his own habit. I repeat, Mykayla is no longer doing chemo or radiation. She hasn't been for a while. Erin and Brandon are doing this for FAME.

[retiredWAC]

The father needs to be educated about the results of not being able to maintain health after chemotherapy. The child needs whatever nutrition she can keep in her stomach to help her get well. The brain will not suffer near as much from the medical marijuana as it would from starvation.
I do not understand this issue of marijuana use because it's perfectly legal to give patients infused marijuana in government (VA, Military) hospitals but not for a little 9 y/o girl with leukemia. One rule for me and another for you???

[bobbychuckles]

There is a toddler in California who's receiving it in tincture form for Autism who doesn't appear to be suffering any brain damage. In fact, clearly the opposite.
Until the 'Marihuana (sic.) Tax Act' of 1937, Cannabis was prescribed for dozens of ailments. Everything from panic attacks to Rheumatoid Arthritis and menstrual cramps.
It worked quite well on all of these without being toxic or habit-forming.
You can't say that about most of the expensive crap pharmaceuticals the industry pill-pushers are showering us with.

[bobbychuckles]

There is a toddler in California who's receiving it in tincture form for Autism who doesn't appear to be suffering any brain damage. In fact, clearly the opposite.
Until the 'Marihuana (sic.) Tax Act' of 1937, Cannabis was prescribed for dozens of ailments. Everything from panic attacks to Rheumatoid Arthritis and menstrual cramps.
It worked quite well on all of these without being toxic or habit-forming.
You can't say that about most of the expensive crap pharmaceuticals the industry pill-pushers are showering us with.

[jtdev1]

The Father is worried about brain development? What about the brain development damage from the RADIATION???? or better yet No brain development from DEATH.

Stupid, Stupid Father...

[Saint_Rapier]

The suthor sounds like they are on the other side of the debate. Like this article was designed to turn people away from Medical Marijuana. I guess the girl should have been raised religiously, and just pray for her health. Or maybe see should spend 300 dollars a day on other stuff that helps her eat, feel better, and yet, still makes her fell "funny" Wake up, you on drugs too, you just call them caffeine, nicotine, and codeine. They alter your chemical balances in your brain, they are drugs too. Let's not be biased when looking into the medical use of drugs, unless you moralize for both sides.

[caljack430]

THANK YOU. Completely agree. It is truly sad how many people do not realie that CAFFEINE IS A DRUG TOO. Just because it is present in almost half of our daily beverages doesn't make it any less of a regulated substance.

[HumboldtPatient]

Well after all caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and pills make shareholders millions to spend on advertising where anyone can grow a pot plant and poor shareholders might go broke if everyone were to go with natural remedies. All major news sources are corrupted by who they get the most $ from.