Wisconsin activists made demands for whole plant cannabis during a legislative hearing
that was meant to remove the physician requirement lobbied for by the Wisconsin
Medical Society within Wisconsin's CBD-only law. Passed in April 2014, Wisconsin’s
law has not provided safe access to cannabis for seizure patients. It has since been
posthumously renamed "Lydia's Law." Lydia’s mother led the fight for CBD only
legislation. Lydia died on Mother's Day in 2014.
Unlike the hearings in February 2014, advocates were not admonished for insisting on
safe access to whole plant cannabis. Advocates ignored the warnings they received
regarding the use of the word cannabis during testimony. They pushed back against
CBD-only myths and prohibitionist lawmakers. Wisconsin parents, now cannabis
refugees living in Colorado testified to the amazing effects whole plant cannabis
medicine has had on their seizure-stricken children through video and written letters.
Vicki Pletka and Rosalinda Wirth are mothers of four year old Lily, who suffers from
numerous brain malformations and Dravet Syndrome. They moved from Milwaukee,
Wisconsin to Colorado Springs, Colorado last May.
"High CBD is working for our daughter. However, it hasn't given her full seizure
reduction. Lily also uses THC oil as a rescue. We plan to add THC and/or THCa to her
daily regimen to further reduce her seizures. The CBD only law bill will not bring our
family home… All our kids will need a whole plant bill to bring us home legally. CBD has
proven to be wonderful for the epilepsy community. But, without whole plant access,
many of us are denied lifesaving access to our medicine."