WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. - Medical marijuana advocates are pushing for change after a Jefferson County school took a disabled student's cannabis medication and told his mother it can't be on school property again.
Jack Splitt, 14, has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy that's left him in a wheelchair, unable to speak. His mother says after trying a host of pharmaceutical medicines, low THC cannabis oil and a cannabis patch have worked wonders to combat Jack's muscle spasms without negative side effects.
Jack's personal nurse was giving him his medication at school, but when the district found out Monday, it said not only was marijuana on school property against state law, but could result in a loss of federal funding. 7NEWS spoke to other districts with the same concern.
"I wish I had a nickel for every time someone brought up the feds," said Teri Robnett, with the Colorado Medical Cannabis Advisory Council. "I think a lot of time 'the feds' become a very convenient excuse to continue prohibition. I think we should address the feds directly and ask them, 'Are you going to do this if we allow this child to come to school and get an education?'"
Robnett said she believes the issue of medical cannabis at schools could be addressed at the state level, and has already requested meetings between lawmakers and Jack's mother.
"They should be at least interested in hearing their story and, hopefully, taking some action to support their constituents," Robnett said. "Now that this issue has come to light and is in the media, that’s always a good opportunity to try and press for legislation or at least an amendment to address this."
A spokesman for the developers of Charlotte's Web, one form of low THC cannabis oil, says while he also doubts the federal government would intervene, a change in policy is still needed at the national level.
“I don’t know what kind of impact lobbying at the state level would have," said Ryan Kingsbury, with Stanley Brothers Social Enterprises. "But we're still lobbying for changes at the federal level which would impact these types of situations."
Jack was back at Everitt Middle School Tuesday without his medication. His mother, Stacey Linn, said she was waiting to see how he did without it, and trying to figure out how she could leave work to give him medicine off of school property of if necessary.
"I'm really worried about it," Linn said. "We were just getting into a balance and this is a really big wrench.
