An 11-year-old boy who was dying from severe epilepsy has not had any

seizures for 300 days since being prescribed a medical marijuana product.

Billy Caldwell, whose intractable epilepsy means he cannot get help through
medication or diet, began treatment with cannabis oil in the US, where medical
marijuana is legal, in 2016.

His prescription was transferred to his local GP, Brendan O’Hare, in Northern
Ireland, and Billy became the first person to receive a prescription for medical
marijuana in the UK.

The medicine, which contains a compound found in cannabis plants called

CBD, does not contain any synthetic chemicals. The company, Billy’s Bud, was
named after Billy in July.

His mother, Charlotte Caldwell, said Billy used to suffer up to 100 seizures per
day, has now not had a single seizure for 300 days. Ms Caldwell said the
cannabis oil has also improved his autism, for example, better eye contact and
engagement with books and toys.

“To me, that’s incredible, because one seizure can kill him,” she told ITV News
after 90 days of no seizures.

Campaigners say CBD can also help with diseases including cancer and Crohn’s
disease. It is legal in the UK and the Medicines and Healthcare Products
Regulation Agency said CBD has a “restoring, correcting or modifying” effect
on “physiological functions”.

He also takes a compound called tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), which is

illegal in the UK due to its links with the psychoactive effects of cannabis.

Earlier this year an independent committee set up “Sponsor a Bud” programme,

allowing low income families from Ireland and the UK to obtain CBD via a Bud
grant.
The family is also holding a Billy’s Bud festival on 9 September in Castlederg,
County Tyrone, to celebrate the support they received for their “Keep Billy
Alive” campaign.

“Following extensive treatment with CBD oil, Billy is now more than 300 days
seizure free,” Ms Caldwell told Donegal Now.

“To celebrate the phenomenal change for the better in Billy's health, we have
decided to hold a small celebration in recognition of all those people that have
helped us “Keep Billy Alive”.”

-world health organization.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the naturally occurring cannabinoids found in

cannabis plants. It

is a 21-carbon terpenophenolic compound which is formed following

decarboxylation from a

cannabidiolic acid precursor, although it can also be produced synthetically.

CBD can be converted to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) under experimental

conditions;

however, this does not appear to occur to any significant effect in patients
undergoing CBD

treatment.

In experimental models of abuse liability, CBD appears to have little effect on

conditioned

place preference or intracranial self-stimulation. In an animal drug

discrimination model CBD
failed to substitute for THC. In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of
any abuse or

dependence potential.

CBD has been demonstrated as an effective treatment of epilepsy in several

clinical trials, with

one pure CBD product (Epidiolex®) currently in Phase III trials. There is also
preliminary

evidence that CBD may be a useful treatment for a number of other medical
conditions.

There is unsanctioned medical use of CBD based products with oils,

supplements, gums, and

high concentration extracts available online for the treatment of many

ailments.

CBD is generally well tolerated with a good safety profile. Reported adverse
effects may be as

a result of drug-drug interactions between CBD and patients’ existing

medications.

Several countries have modified their national controls to accommodate CBD

as a medicinal

product.

To date, there is no evidence of recreational use of CBD or any public health

related problems

associated with the use of pure CBD.

-world health organization.