Tag Archives: Cannabis Oil

Featured, Government Accountability, Health, Marijuana Prohibition

Mother Calls Cannabis Oil a ‘Miracle Drug’ for Her Son, Continues Fight in Georgia

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Cannabis is Literally Saving His Life, So Why Is His Mom A Cri…

Cannabis is Literally Saving This Boy's Life, So Why Is His Mom A Criminal For Giving It To Him?

Posted by Ben Swann on Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Katie Harrison loves her little guy, Hawk.

Life is hard for this little guy: when Hawk was just weeks old, he suffered a brain hemorrhage, followed by a seizure that led to a blood clot disorder, a feeding tube and vision impairment.

But Hawk’s life has been getting better thanks to cannabis oil, which he has been taking three times a day for months. It started when Katie traveled to California to see what cannabis oil could do for her son.

“We just saw instantly a huge difference, the light behind his eyes, his awareness of what else was in the room…and he could see other people and he was aware,” Harrison said.
For Harrison, cannabis oil is a miracle.

There is just one problem with this miracle. Access to this miracle is crime. Cannabis oil, or CBD, comes from cannabis plants which can’t legally be grown here in Georgia.

But a bill in the Georgia House aims to expand the number of conditions that can be treated with cannabis oil, and it would have allowed more THC, the chemical in cannabis that can get you high, to be incorporated into medicine.

“THC (A) would be legal, which is the acid form of THC, before you heat it up and decarboxylase it. That’s something that Hawk takes, so that would help us,” Harrison said.
And the bill would have allowed cannabis oil to be cultivated here in Georgia. But while making its way through the Georgia House it was stripped down completely, making it tough for thousands of parents like Harrison to offer their kids relief.

“It’s just such a tiny piece of legislation when you do that, when you limit it so much, when you could be helping so much more. It seems like another cowardly act,” Harrison said.

For Harrison, her hope now resides in stories like these. Stories that explain to people that CBD oil isn’t kids smoking marijuana, but medicinal oil that is transforming children and adults who suffer from various conditions from epilepsy to cancer, and PTSD.
Harrison has made it her mission to keep fighting and to educate people about the wonders of CBD oil.

“As they hear Hawk’s story…you sort of see their face change, like, ‘oh, ok when you explain it that way’ or ‘when you really break it down, I understand it better now,’ then they’re more for it,” she said.

Drug War, Featured, Marijuana Prohibition

Shona Banda’s Lawyers File Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Against State of Kansas

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Attorneys Sarah Swain and Matthew Pappas have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the State of Kansas and its Department for Children and Families on behalf of cannabis oil activist and Crohn’s disease patient Shona Banda, whose 11-year-old son was taken by authorities in April of this year after he spoke out about his mother’s successful medical marijuana treatment during a public school anti-drug presentation. After Banda’s son was seized by the state, Garden City, KS police raided her home on the basis of an unauthorized interrogation of her son, allegedly finding cannabis oil constituents and paraphernalia used to make it, and charged her with 5 criminal charges. Banda faces over 30 years in prison if convicted.

Swain, who said last month that she intends to attack cannabis’ classification as a hardcore Schedule 1 narcotic with no medical use as a part of Banda’s defense, teamed up with attorney Matthew Pappas and announced the lawsuit on Banda’s behalf at a July 3 press conference in Los Angeles, according to The Garden City Telegram. The federal civil rights suit alleges that the State of Kansas and the Department for Children and Families violated Banda’s rights by taking her son.

“There’s a fundamental right in our country that if you’re doing something that is to help a condition you suffer from, and that’s the purpose of what you’re doing, then it would be inappropriate [to seize a parent’s child over the substance], unless there is an extremely important interest and a narrowly-tailored law. It would be necessary to have that situation before you would ever take a child out of somebody’s custody,” said Pappas in an interview with The Garden City Telegram. He continued, “In Kansas the issue comes down to whether or not there is a justification that the law prohibiting marijuana is narrowly tailored given the fact that she’s using it to alleviate serious pain and symptoms related to Crohn’s disease and not to get high.”

Authorities claim that DCF seized Banda’s son because evidence related to her alleged use and manufacture of cannabis oil was found within reach of her child. Banda’s legal team will reportedly argue that her use of cannabis was medicinal in nature and that the substance is less toxic than other legal household items and medications. In his interview with The Garden City Telegram, Pappas cited prior case law that upheld a parent’s right to custody of a child as fundamental under the Civil Rights Act of 1871.

Truth in Media has covered Shona Banda’s cannabis oil activism since March of 2014, as she first gained notoriety after producing her own inexpensive cannabis oil extraction method in an effort to create a home treatment for Crohn’s disease and other ailments. Truth in Media’s exclusive interviews with Banda about her custody battle and the criminal charges she faces were cited by mainstream media outlets like The Washington Post and ABC’s The View and sparked a national discussion over medical marijuana and cannabis prohibition.

To find out more about Banda’s story, click here.

Truth In Media’s latest Consider This episode takes a look at the drug war and non-violent offenders. Watch it in the below-embedded video player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zTOFxdUsQw

Drug War, Marijuana Prohibition

Ron Paul Calls for Jury to Nullify Cannabis Oil Mom Shona Banda’s Criminal Charges

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Since March of last year, Truth in Media has covered the work of cannabis oil activist Shona Banda, a mother and Crohn’s disease patient who successfully used cannabis oil to treat her illness and developed her own inexpensive method for extracting it. However, Banda’s ordeal took a serious turn in April of this year when her son was seized by the Kansas Department for Children and Families and her home raided by police after her 11-year-old son spoke out about Banda’s successful cannabis oil treatment during an anti-drug presentation at his Garden City, KS public school.

Truth in Media’s exclusive interviews with Banda about her fight to regain custody of her son and the five criminal charges, three of them felonies, that she faces pursuant to the April raid on her home garnered nationwide attention, with outlets like The Washington Post and ABC’s The View picking up the story.

Now, Shona Banda’s case has caught the attention of libertarian icon and former Republican US Congressman Ron Paul, who weighed in on her case during Tuesday’s episode of the Ron Paul Liberty Report.

In the episode, seen in the above-embedded video player, Ron Paul spoke optimistically of the fact that laws prohibiting treatment with cannabis oil have been overturned in many states, but noted that these changes are happening too slowly to help in Shona Banda’s case. As an alternative, he pointed to jury nullification, a legal tool that jurors can use to defend fellow citizens from unjust laws.

“[Shona Banda] could end up in prison for 34 years,” said Paul, who called the charges against her “so egregious.”

Jury nullification describes a discretionary act in which a juror uses his or her right to acquit a defendant, but does so, not on the basis that the accused is innocent of the charges, but instead based on the belief that the law itself is unjust. Former Congressman Paul cautioned that efforts to stand outside a specific courthouse and educate jurors on the principle of jury nullification could result in activists being charged with jury tampering.

Paul also pointed out the fact that parents who home-school their kids do not face a risk that public school employees will interrogate their children in an effort to spy on parents’ behavior. He concluded by articulating his broader view that the War on Drugs exceeds the federal government’s constitutional limits. “[The federal government] shouldn’t even be involved. Where is it in the Constitution that they’re going to tell us about what our kids can do or what a person can do for their own body, taking something that grows naturally and finds out that its the best medication they could take? I mean that is not a federal function.”

Shona Banda’s supporters have already raised nearly $50,000 to support her legal defense via a GoFundMe page. Banda has predicted that her legal fees may exceed $150,000.

In September of last year, Ben Swann released a Truth in Media episode confronting the federal government’s mixed messages about the efficacy of medical marijuana. Watch it in the below-embedded video player.

https://youtu.be/zuX9y0hiqWE

Drug War, Featured, Government Accountability, Marijuana Prohibition, Politics, US

Shona Banda’s Attorney Plans to Fight Cannabis’ Classification As Schedule 1 Narcotic

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Since March of 2014, Truth in Media has covered the work of cannabis oil activist and Crohn’s disease sufferer Shona Banda, who has successfully used cannabis oil to manage her disease and developed her own inexpensive method to extract it. However, Banda’s story took a dramatic turn recently when her home was raided by police and her son was seized by the Kansas Department for Children and Families after he spoke out about his mother’s cannabis oil treatment during an anti-drug presentation at school. Truth in Media’s exclusive interview with Banda about the State of Kansas’ seizure of her son went viral and attracted worldwide mainstream media attention from outlets like The Washington Post and ABC’s The View.

Last week, Finney County Attorney Susan Richmeier announced that Shona Banda would be facing five criminal counts related to the cannabis oil and paraphernalia items that were found in her home during the aforementioned April raid by Garden City police. Truth in Media spoke exclusively with Banda last week about those charges, three of which are felonies.

Yesterday, as Banda surrendered to Finney County authorities, her attorney Sarah Swain held a press conference, which was captured on video by Jennifer Winn, a well-known Kansas-based political activist who mounted an unsuccessful-but-serious run for the Republican nomination for governor of Kansas in 2014.

Swain said that she intends to challenge the federal government’s classification of cannabis as a hardcore Schedule 1 narcotic with no medical use as a part of Banda’s defense and that she’s willing to take her case to the Supreme Court if necessary.

“The real issue to me in this case is not just about Shona Banda — it’s why do we have marijuana classified as a Schedule 1 drug, which requires… that there be no medicinal benefits to that substance such as metamphetamine or heroin or crack cocaine… There are hundreds of studies that will tell you [the medical benefits of] marijuana,” said Swain.

She continued, “The fact that this country continues the War on Drugs, which is really just a war on families and a war on the poor is absolutely ridiculous, and it’s our goal with this case to, not just to change the way that Shona Banda is treated here in Garden City, KS, but to take this case every step of the way to litigate it all the way up to the United States Supreme Court, if we need to, to make sure that this drug is no longer classified as a Schedule 1 drug, and as soon as it’s classified as something less than that, millions of people’s lives will be positively affected by that change.”

When a reporter asked Swain whether she would be challenging the constitutionality of authorities’ interrogation of Banda’s child at school without parental permission and the use of its findings as probable cause for a raid on her home, Swain said, “My strategy is to do what’s best for my client first, and what’s best for Shona Banda is that the tactics that were employed by DCF, Department for Children and Families, in questioning her child and the tactics that were employed by the Garden City Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department are thoroughly litigated. I certainly think there are some issues that exist with the constitutionality of the way the information was gathered, the search warrant was prepared, the eventual search of her house was done, and I will litigate all of those issues fully, but I’m not going to stop there. I’m going to litigate this issue even at the district court level as if this is a case that can change the law, not just here, not just in Garden City, not just in Kansas, but throughout the entire country. That’s what our goal is, and I know it’s a lofty goal, but I think that it’s an incredibly important goal.”

Swain noted that the Banda could be facing over 30 years in prison if she is convicted on all five charges. “She’s 38, so not only is it essentially a life sentence, but this is a woman who was using cannabis to treat a disease, Crohn’s disease, that’s absolutely debilitating, so not only is it that she’s facing life in prison just due to the years, but, essentially, it’s a death sentence if she is sent to prison and does not have access to the treatment that she was using that cured her of her Crohn’s disease and allowed her to live a somewhat normal life,” said Swain.

Swain noted that Banda could be facing additional personal risk in terms of years behind bars and potential loss of custody of her son due to her decision to let her case be a battleground for a legal fight over the federal government’s classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 narcotic, but that Banda is willing to take that risk.

Swain also said that the case is important to her personally as her father is a Vietnam veteran who uses cannabis to manage his post-traumatic stress disorder.

Banda’s bond was set at $50,000, and some of the funds raised by her supporters through a GoFundMe page were used to post bond after a hearing on Tuesday morning. At the press conference on Monday, Sarah Swain called on supporters of medical marijuana around the world to continue donating to the GoFundMe page to assist Banda in what is likely to be a protracted legal fight.

In January of 2012, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America Patient Education Committee issued a statement which read, “The CCFA does support the calls by the various health organizations urging review of marijuana’s status as a federal Schedule 1 controlled substance, with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and the potential development of cannabanoid-based medications.” Marijuana’s classification as a Schedule 1 narcotic prevents its potential medical benefits from being directly studied by scientists in a clinical setting.

Back in September of last year, Ben Swann released a Truth in Media episode noting that the federal government holds a patent on medical cannabis despite the fact that it classifies the substance as having no medical use. Watch it in the below-embedded video player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuX9y0hiqWE

 

Civil Liberties, Drug War, Editor’s Pick, Government Accountability, Marijuana Prohibition, Police State, Politics, States Rights, US

EXCLUSIVE: Cannabis Oil Activist Shona Banda, Now Facing Felony Charges, Speaks Out

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In April, Truth in Media published an exclusive interview with Shona Banda, a cannabis oil activist and Crohn’s disease survivor whose home was raided by Garden City, KS police and 11-year-old son was seized by the Kansas Department for Children and Families after her son spoke out about medical marijuana during an anti-drug presentation in school.

Banda’s ordeal became a national issue after her interview with Truth in Media was picked up by Radley Balko at The Washington Post and discussed on a wide range of mainstream media outlets and television talk shows including ABC’s The View. Truth in Media has been covering Banda’s activism since 2014, when she went public in an interview with Ben Swann about how she uses cannabis oil to treat her Crohn’s disease.

[RELATED: The Cannabis Oil Invention Shona Banda Wouldn’t Hold Secret]

Meanwhile, The Garden City Telegram is reporting that Finney County Attorney Susan Richmeier announced on Friday that five criminal charges are being filed against Shona Banda pursuant to the April raid by Garden City police. The charges, three of which are felonies, include distribution or possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of school property, endangering a child, unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance, and two drug paraphernalia infractions. The Garden City Telegram notes that Banda could be facing anywhere between 138 to 204 months behind bars.

On Monday, Truth in Media spoke exclusively with Shona Banda about the charges that have been filed against her and her views on the cannabis oil movement that is exploding across the nation.

“I do believe that they’re trying to make an example out of me,” said Banda about the criminal charges she now faces.

She said of the state’s decision to press charges against her despite an overwhelming public show of support for her plight, “Well, they had a choice. People have made petitions [in support of Banda], over 130,000 signatures on one petition alone. I want to say that there are four or five different petitions out there. Phone calls have been made to the DA Susan Richmeier in Garden City. Letters have been written, and they still chose to charge me with felony 1 charges. They’re charging me with child endangerment, and they’re calling my machine a lab, and anyone can go on YouTube and look up what that lab consists of, because it’s ridiculous what they’re trying to charge me with.”

Garden City police claim that the raid on Banda’s home produced, according to The Garden City Telegram, “1.25 pounds of marijuana in plant, oil, joint, gel and capsule form and drug paraphernalia” along with what was characterized as a “lab used for manufacturing cannabis oil.”

Banda took particular offense to the fact that she was charged with child endangerment and said, “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous. There was no endangerment of a child, for one. For two, this plant is the most non-toxic substance on the planet, so, it’s safer to have around my house than aspirin. So the child endangerment charges I can not believe.”

Regarding the charge related to allegedly possessing or selling cannabis in close proximity to a school, she said, “They’re trying to say that it’s 1000 feet from a school. I’m several blocks away from a school. I sure would like to challenge that.”

Banda also pointed out the fact that Finney County Attorney Susan Richmeier took almost two months to come up with criminal charges after the April raid on her home. “How serious of a criminal am I really if it took them this long to charge me? How much of a danger to society am I really? How can you charge someone with a level 1 felony and have those charges be out for so long. If I’m such a danger to society, why did it take this long to charge me?”

In March of 2014, Truth in Media’s Evan Mulch reported on Banda’s innovative process for inexpensively extracting cannabis oil. “My oil was the first CBD oil tested in Colorado. I literally am one of the first patients to come out publicly with this oil… I really did help start an online social media revolution of paying it forward with healing yourself and telling others about it. I helped start all this, and I couldn’t make it in Colorado, so I just moved back home [to Kansas] so I could survive,” said Banda. “I wrote my book [Live Free or Die: Reclaim your Life… Reclaim your Country!] and went to Colorado to get it published. I helped start the medical movement in Colorado.”

[RELATED: Shona Banda Explains Her Remarkable Story On How Cannabis Oil Saved Her Life]

Meanwhile, a frenzy of non-psychoactive cannabis oil legalization bills have been passing in even the most conservative of state legislatures of late, with Tennessee and Texas recently joining the list of states that have legalized low-THC cannabis oil to treat intractable seizures. Said Banda of the low-THC movement, “I’m still for these people who are trying to pass CBD-only laws because hemp is completely legal here, you can use hemp, and use can use the materials from hemp.”

However, she said that the bills did not go far enough and that bans on psychoactive forms of cannabis oil put some sufferers at risk who need it to treat their illnesses, “I fully believe that you need the full spectrum of cannabanoids in the cannabis plant, not the hemp plant, to create homeostasis and healing within the body… Why would you continue to pervert this process by taking out one constituent from an entire plant that is helpful and only allowing that one constituent? Because it doesn’t get you ‘high’? Our endocannabinoid system is made to accept it and work with it, and it works best when it is in its whole form.”

“I started this whole process because I wanted to live and grow and be with my children. I just want to live and survive with my kids and raise my children and live long enough to see grandchildren. It’s an inalienable right to live and I shouldn’t be punished for pursuing that… I shouldn’t be prosecuted for that,” said Banda. She continued, “The people of Kansas want [medical marijuana] available to them. It makes no sense to me that people’s lives in Colorado are more important than people’s lives in Kansas. How is this the United States of America when your life means more if you’re in California, Washington, Colorado, than when you’re in Kansas or Oklahoma or Texas?”

Banda, whose supporters have launched a GoFundMe page that has raised $43,000 so far for legal expenses, said that her legal quagmire has escalated to what is likely a “150 to 200 thousand dollar process.” She called on her supporters to “get this out there as absolutely to the masses as possible, because the mainstream media is not paying attention.” She continued, “There are still too many people who do not know what is going on. This is the most heinous of crimes. Why would you take a child away from his mother because his mother is trying to live. How is that protecting anyone in my family?”

Banda’s next custody hearing where she will learn more about her chances to reunite with her son is set for July 10. She has not yet been arrested on the aforementioned five criminal counts, which have been filed but not yet processed.

She believes that her fate “depends on whether Garden City is willing to accept science.”

She continued, “Wasn’t Kansas the state that said they weren’t going to teach evolution at one point? I mean, the state of Kansas is pretty scary. I’m just hoping that they’ll accept this science with a much more open mind.”

To find out more about Banda’s story, click here.

In September of last year, Ben Swann released a Truth in Media episode tackling the federal government’s mixed messages on medical cannabis. Watch it in the below-embedded video player.

https://youtu.be/zuX9y0hiqWE

Drug War, Marijuana Prohibition, Politics, States Rights, US

Texas Governor Signs Bill Legalizing Cannabis Oil for Epilepsy Sufferers

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On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 339 into law, thus legalizing the medicinal use of low-THC, non-euphoric cannabis oil for the treatment of intractable epileptic seizures. According to The Texas Tribune, Governor Abbott said that the bill offers “healing and hope for children who are afflicted by relentless seizures caused by epilepsy.”

The bill only addresses the use of low-THC cannabidiol, also called CBD oil. As he signed the legislation, Governor Abbott specifically noted that he does not support the legalization of higher-THC marijuana for recreational or medical use and said, “I remain convinced that Texas should not legalize marijuana, nor should Texas open the door for conventional marijuana to be used for medicinal purposes. As governor, I will not allow it; SB 339 does not open the door to marijuana in Texas.”

KVUE-TV notes that the law requires patients to obtain approval from two different specialists in order to seek treatment with cannabis oil. The Texas Department of Public Safety will be charged with regulating cannabis oil manufacturers and dispensaries and must license at least three dispensaries by September 1, 2017, assuming that there are a sufficient number of qualified applicants by that time. Only neurologists and epileptologists will be allowed to prescribe cannabis oil under Texas law. Truth in Media’s Rachel Blevins noted that requiring doctors to prescribe (rather than recommend) the federally-illegal medication may put them at risk of federal prosecution. SB 339 limits cannabis oil potency to a THC ratio of 20 to 1.

According to KXAN-TV, Governor Abbott issued a statement on the legislation, which read, “There is currently no cure for intractable epilepsy and many patients have had little to no success with currently approved drugs. However, we have seen promising results from CBD oil testing and with the passage of this legislation, there is now hope for thousands of families who deal with the effects of intractable epilepsy every day.”

A statement by Marijuana Policy Project’s Texas political director Heather Fazio read, “While this program leaves most patients behind and we’re concerned about its functionality, today is one for the history books. The Texas Legislature is sending a resounding message: Marijuana is medicine.”

In September of last year, Ben Swann released a Truth in Media episode exposing the federal government’s mixed messages on medical marijuana. Watch it in the embedded video player, found below.

https://youtu.be/zuX9y0hiqWE

Civil Liberties, Drug War, Health, Marijuana Prohibition, Politics, States Rights, US

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam Signs Cannabis Oil Legalization Bill into Law

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On Monday, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed a bill into law legalizing the use of low-THC cannabis oil to treat specific medical conditions including severe seizure disorders and epilepsy. The bill, SB 0280, unanimously passed through the Tennessee legislature last month. The new law requires patients to seek a doctor’s approval and obtain the medication from out of state, as it does not create a legal cannabis oil production marketplace in Tennessee.

Public outcry led to the bill’s passage, as Tennessee families with children suffering from seizure disorders recently began to move out of state in an effort to seek treatment in states where cannabis oil is legal. A three-year-old Memphis girl named Chloe Grauer passed away last year during a severe seizure while waiting for a cannabis oil legalization bill to pass, further intensifying the sense of urgency behind the health initiative.

The Tennessean spoke to the Mathes family who obtained a doctor’s permission and cannabis oil medication as soon as the bill became law in an effort to treat their one-year-old daughter Josie’s severe seizures. Said Josie’s mother Stacie Mathes, “We’re very, very happy that we can get started and see some improvements and get the nasty medicines behind us… As parents, you want some miracles. And you know in some cases it will stop seizures pretty quick. We’re hopeful that we can get them under control… We’re happy with that.”

WSMV-TV notes that Governor Haslam originally opposed the law, but changed his position after a discussion with the state attorney.

Tennessee lawmakers are set to discuss a broader medical marijuana bill this summer, after a Republican medical marijuana legalization proposal introduced by State Senator Dr. Steve Dickerson (R-Nashville) and State Representative Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville) gained unexpected traction earlier this year. Paul Kuhn, chairman of Tennesseans United, a nonprofit promoting medical marijuana legalization, told The Tennessean, “The cannabis oil bill the governor signed into law is a step in the right direction and an acknowledgment by our state leaders that marijuana has therapeutic properties. We hope this momentum carries over into the summer when lawmakers will work on proposed legislation to benefit Tennesseans suffering from a wider range of conditions.”

In September of last year, Ben Swann released a Truth in Media episode exposing the federal government’s mixed messages on medical cannabis and cannabis oil. Watch it in the embedded player, found below.

https://youtu.be/zuX9y0hiqWE

Civil Liberties, Drug War, Featured, Marijuana Prohibition, Police State, Politics, US, Videos

VIDEO: Without Warrant, Cops Block Cannabis Oil Activist Shona Banda from Entering Her Own Home

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Last week, BenSwann.com obtained an exclusive interview with Shona Banda, a cannabis oil activist and Crohn’s disease survivor whose 11-year-old son was taken by Kansas’ Department for Children and Families and whose home was searched by police after her son asserted medical cannabis facts during an anti-drug class at school. During the interview, Banda mentioned the fact that she had filmed the encounter with police and DCF at her home, which she characterized as a raid, and that video of the incident would be made available after she had an opportunity to post it online.

The video, now online and seen above, appears to show the fact that, upon her arrival at her Garden City, KS home, local police and DCF agents were already on her property. At the time that the video was taken, police on the scene had yet to obtain a warrant and were waiting for a judge to sign off on one. Despite the fact that a search warrant had not yet been issued, officers were seen searching her backyard. Banda refused to allow the officers into her home without a warrant, and, subsequently, police refused to allow her to enter her own home, claiming that it had been secured in preparation for the impending search.

At one point, an officer denied Banda entry into the home to retrieve diabetes medication for a child in her care, telling her that police would contact EMS if the child slipped into a diabetic attack as a result of the refusal to allow her inside. The officer appeared to attempt to use the diabetic attack as leverage to coerce Banda into waiving her right to refuse a search by suggesting that he could enter the home to get the medication, but informing her that she could not. DCF bureaucrats said that Banda could not be allowed into the home until officers determined whether it was safe for children. Banda was told by police many times that she was free to leave her own home, but could not enter.

Following Banda’s interview on BenSwann.com and a report by The Human Solution International, her story was picked up by Radley Balko at The Washington Post and subsequently went viral. Banda’s supporters have started a GoFundMe fundraising campaign, which has already raised over $25,000, to help with her legal expenses.

The Garden City Telegram notes that Banda is set to appear in court today at a hearing at Finney County District Court, where she will fight for custody of her 11-year-old son. According to The Daily Mail, Banda’s son, who had been originally placed in his father’s custody temporarily, was seized from his father on Thursday in advance of today’s hearing.

In September of last year, Ben Swann released a Truth in Media episode reporting on the federal government’s mixed messages on medical marijuana. Watch it in the player below.

Drug War, Featured, Government Accountability, Marijuana Prohibition, US

Angela Brown: Case Of Mother Who Treated Son With Cannabis Oil Reaches End

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Madison, MN- The legal case of Angela Brown, a Minnesota mother who was charged after she treated her son’s health problems with cannabis oil, is expected to end as Mrs. Brown and the state of Minnesota have reached an agreement.

According to a press release from Brown’s attorney, Michael Hughes, Brown and the state of Minnesota filed a “continued for dismissal” petition with the Lac Qui Parle County Court on April 17th to dismiss the final remaining charge of child endangerment upon Brown paying $100 and avoiding violations for 90 days. Angela Brown will not have to plead guilty.

“This resolution obtains the ultimate goal, which was to get the charges against Mrs. Brown dismissed,” stated the release.

The agreement was reached before jury selection for Brown’s trial was set to begin next week. Brown was facing up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine for giving her son the oil. Brown will now be avoiding a jury trial, which also spares Brown’s son, Trey, from being subpoenaed to testify. According to the press release, “the State had threatened to subpoena the child and force him to testify against his mother at trial.” 

According to the Star Tribune, Angela Brown accepted the deal but remains frustrated by the state’s pursuit of charges against her. “For an entire year, they have put us through emotional, financial and literally physical damages,” she said. “And now they want me to pay court fees and spend 90 more days dealing with them?”

Legal troubles for the Brown family began last year when Angela turned to cannabis oil to treat Trey’s multiple medical issues stemming from a sports injury that occurred when the boy was 11. After the injury, Trey suffered a stroke and had been in a coma. Medical issues followed, including seizures, muscle spasms and severe headaches, and they were causing Trey’s school grades to decline. Angela said that he had begun harming himself.

According to court documents, the family had exhausted almost every other course of treatment for Trey before discussing cannabis as a possible option with Trey’s medical providers.

The Brown family said that Trey’s condition greatly improved shortly after using cannabis oil. An investigation was prompted when Trey’s school discovered, after staff noted that his academic performance had improved, that he had been taking the oil. Angela was later charged with two counts of child endangerment; one of those charges was dropped in January.

During the legal ordeal, Trey has not access to cannabis oil and Angela Brown said that Trey’s seizures returned, causing him to be sent to the emergency room twice. The family is currently struggling with about $8,000 in medical bills incurred while Trey has not been allowed to use the oil.

Marijuana use for some medical purposes will be legal in Minnesota on July 1st, 2015. The Brown family has decided to move to Colorado, where the blend of cannabis oil that effectively treated Trey’s symptoms was obtained. Cannabis oil is also reportedly cheaper and more easily accessible in Colorado. The family has started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover medical bills and moving expenses.

“We were ready for a dog fight,” Hughes said in regards to the trial. “I am very emotional about this case on several levels and have been preparing for this battle since taking the case. At the end of the day all the charges originally brought against my client will be dismissed. I see this as a victory and a positive outcome. Still, what this family has endured is just another sad example of how cannabis prohibition negatively impacts our society.”

Click here for more information about the Brown case.

Drug War, Health, Marijuana Prohibition, Politics, US

Tennessee Legislature Unanimously Passes Cannabis Oil Legalization Bill

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On Monday, a bill that would legalize the use of low-THC cannabis oil in the treatment of severe seizure disorders and epilepsy passed unanimously through both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly. The bill’s Senate sponsor, State Senator Becky Massey (R-Knoxville) said, according to The Tennessean, “Today we have the power to make a real change. These people are suffering, this medication works and is safe.” The proposal is headed to Governor Haslam’s desk, where, if he chooses to sign it, it would become law.

A significant number of Tennessee families with children suffering from seizure disorders had begun to leave the state for Colorado over the past few years in an effort to obtain treatment with cannabis oil. One-year-old Josie Mathes’ mother Stacie fought tirelessly for her daughter’s right to seek treatment and said, “It was our hope and dream that it would [be approved], and then for it to actually happen, it’s life changing. It’s lifesaving. I think that’s the most important part of all of this. I’m speechless.”

Knoxville resident Sandy Bush, who hopes to treat her two-year-old son Cameron with cannabis oil, said of the bill’s passage, “You’re already dealing with taking care of a child that requires a lot more effort, and then to have to work so hard to get something that you really feel like could help them, it’s just a big relief…” Tragically, a three-year-old Memphis girl named Chloe Grauer passed away from a severe seizure last year while waiting for a cannabis oil legalization bill to pass.

State Representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby), who sponsored the bill in the House, told WATE-TV, “Tonight we proved that you can appeal to your legislator and move heaven and earth and we did that tonight, it gives me hope in the legislative process.”

Though it is not yet known whether Governor Haslam intends to sign the bill, he supported last year’s proposal for a study on the use of cannabis oil for seizure disorders, and a spokesman from his administration said that he would defer to the will of the legislature on the issue.

The bill would require those seeking treatment to obtain a legal order of recommendation in order to use cannabis oil and falls short of creating a legal marketplace in Tennessee. Tennesseans would consequently be required to obtain cannabis oil from states that do have a legal marketplace such as Colorado.

In September of last year, Ben Swann released a Truth in Media episode dealing with the government’s mixed messages on medical cannabis. Watch it in the below-embedded video player.

Drug War, Featured, Interviews, Marijuana Prohibition, Police State, Politics, US

EXCLUSIVE: Cops Raid Cannabis Oil Activist Because Her Son Discussed Medical Pot Facts at School

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On March 24, cannabis oil activist Shona Banda‘s life was flipped upside-down after her son was taken from her by the State of Kansas. The ordeal started when counselors at her 11-year-old son’s school conducted a drug education class. Her son, who had previously lived in Colorado for a period of time, disagreed with some of the anti-pot points that were being made by school officials. “My son says different things like my ‘Mom calls it cannabis and not marijuana.’ He let them know how educated he was on the facts,” said Banda in an exclusive interview with BenSwann.com. Banda successfully treated her own Crohn’s disease with cannabis oil.

After her son spoke out about medical marijuana, he was detained, and police launched a raid on Shona Banda’s home. “Well, they had that drug education class at school that was just conducted by the counselors… They pulled my son out of school at about 1:40 in the afternoon and interrogated him. Police showed up at my house at 3… I let them know that they weren’t allowed in my home without a warrant… I didn’t believe you could get a warrant off of something a child says in school.” Banda continued, “We waited from 3 o’clock until 6 o’clock. They got a warrant at 6 o’clock at night and executed a warrant into my home. My husband and I are separated, and neither parent was contacted by authorities before [our son] was taken and questioned.”

“They subsequently conducted a raid and then called me when the raid was over letting me know that there was a list of items they took on my kitchen table, I was allowed to go home, and [an officer] gave me his word I would not be arrested in person or at work and that charges would be given to me in a postcard in the mail. I have not been charged with anything at this point, but I have a hard time believing that it’s OK for them to interrogate my child without parental consent for hours,” said Banda. A report by The Human Solution International notes that officers found 2 ounces of cannabis and an ounce of cannabis oil during the raid.

Banda then described the actions that the State of Kansas began to take in an effort to take her son from her, “On the 24th, he was taken into custody. That was on a Tuesday. He was taken out of town Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Friday we had a temporary hearing… and temporary custody was granted to my ex. Now the only reason why temporary custody was granted to my ex is because the judge said something to the effect that the amount of cannabis found in my home was going to possibly be felony charges and it was pointless letting the child return home to his mother.” She believes that the state is trying to take her son away and said, “The state is trying to deem it to where [Shona’s ex-husband] is not fit and I’m not fit and they’re trying to take custody of our child.”

“For him to have spoken up in class I can’t be upset about because he hears me daily on the phone talking with people, encouraging people to speak up and speak out. We did have the talk about how it’s not OK to bring this up in Kansas, because it’s a different state [than Colorado]. It’s very confusing for a child,” said Banda, noting how difficult it can be for children to understand how something could be considered legal medicine in one state and contraband in another.

Authorities have yet to charge Banda with a crime, and her next custody hearing is set to take place on April 20.

Update April 17, 2:20 PM: In light of new details confirmed by Radley Balko at The Washington Post, the first paragraph of this article has been edited to clarify the fact that the Garden City Police Department did not participate in the school’s drug education class, but were called by Child Protective Services to search Shona Banda after school officials contacted CPS in response to her son’s comments during the class. 

In September of last year, Ben Swann released a Truth in Media episode exposing the government’s mixed messages on medical cannabis. Watch it in the video player, found below.

Drug War, Marijuana Prohibition, Politics, States Rights, US

Cannabis Oil Legalization Bill Advances Through TN House Committee

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Tennessee, a hard red and deeply conservative state, is currently taking a long look at marijuana prohibition, as the state’s legislature is considering an array of bills that could weaken bans on marijuana. According to The Tennessean, one such bill just advanced past its first legislative obstacle. HB 0197, a bill introduced by Republican House Rep. Jeremy Faison, would legalize the medical use of cannabis oil in the treatment of patients suffering from serious seizure disorders. The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee approved the bill last Tuesday, meaning it now moves on to the House Criminal Committee. The above-embedded footage by WSMV, published approximately two weeks before the committee would ultimately approve the bill, shows some of the individuals who testified at the hearings leading up to the bill’s advancement.

The committee tweaked the proposal’s language, adding a requirement that cannabis oil patients obtain a doctor’s note. Medical cannabis oil extracts lack the THC content that provides the euphoric feeling associated with marijuana.

Committee Chairman William Lamberth (R-Cottontown) offered his support for the bill during the hearing. Tennessee Republicans, who are promoting the legislation, control the legislature, giving it a fair chance of passing in a state that legalized hemp last year.

Cannabis oil legalization became a political issue in the state after Tennessee families with children suffering from seizure disorders, some of which resulting in thousands of seizures per day, began to plan moves out of state in an effort to seek treatment for their children. FOX-13 notes that Memphis three-year-old Chloe Grauer tragically passed away from a severe seizure late last year while waiting for a cannabis oil legalization bill to pass in Tennessee. According to The Leaf Chronice, Chloe Grauer’s grandmother Gail Grauer was present at the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee hearing in honor of her granddaughter.

In addition to the cannabis oil bill, the Tennessee House Criminal Justice Subcommittee will consider a bill, sponsored by Rep. Harold Love (D-Nashville), that would decriminalize the possession and casual exchange of less than a half ounce of marijuana and adjust penalties for possession and casual exchange of up to one ounce to a $100 fine without jail time. Another bill sponsored by Rep. Sherry Jones (D-Nashville) would redefine the state’s definition of drug paraphernalia to exclude products used to consume marijuana.

The Leaf Chronicle notes that recent Vanderbilt University and Middle Tennessee State University polls demonstrated that 3 in 4 Tennesseans support some degree of marijuana legalization.

Tennessee NORML president Doak Patton said, “I was there yesterday when the [cannabis oil] bill passed the subcommittee… The whole room was filled with mothers, fathers, grandparents and sick kids. It was fairly amazing to see… Last year, I knew almost all of these people by name. Now there are so many, I can’t keep count.”

In September of last year, Ben Swann released an expose, seen below, on the federal government’s mixed messages on cannabis oil.

Drug War, Featured, Police State, Politics, US

TN Legislators Introduce Bills to Decriminalize Cannabis Oil, Legalize Marijuana

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Following news that TN NORML has launched a petition drive to place a referendum on Nashville’s upcoming August mayoral ballot that would allow voters to decide whether to defund enforcement of low-level marijuana arrests for possession of less than two ounces, state-level lawmakers have also introduced two new bills that, if they were to become law, would weaken Tennessee’s ban on pot. According to WATE-TV, State Representative Harold Love (D-Nashville) introduced HB0873, which would legalize possession and the casual exchange of a half ounce of marijuana or less. The bill would also modify Tennessee criminal code by adjusting the penalty for the possession, distribution, or casual exchange of over an ounce of pot to a misdemeanor punished by a $100 fine. A companion version of the bill, SB 1211, has been introduced in the Tennessee Senate by Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville). If it were to pass, the bill would go into effect on July 1 of this year.

From the other side of the aisle, Republican State Representative Jeremy Faison from Cosby, TN introduced a bill last month that would decriminalize the possession and use of cannabis oil for medical purposes. BenSwann.com previously reported on two Tennessee parents who were forced to move to Colorado to obtain cannabis oil treatment for their two-year-old daughter Piper who suffers from Aicardi Syndrome, a seizure disorder. According to WBIR-TV, Faison’s bill would allow individuals suffering from intense seizures to use cannabis oil. State Senator Becky Duncan-Massey (R-Knoxville) has introduced a companion bill in the Tennessee Senate.

Said Faison of the bill, “Cannabis oil has shown evidence to help children who suffer with seizures, and I strongly believe that if the legislature joins me in passing this bill, it will be one of those times that government does get it right.” Faison pointed out the fact that his bill would stop short of legalizing medical marijuana, as it would only allow oils with less than .9% THC content.

Back in September of 2014, Ben Swann released an expose on the federal government’s mixed messages on medical marijuana and cannabis oil. Despite the fact that the federal government claims that marijuana is one of the most dangerous drugs with no medical use, it also holds a patent on medical marijuana. Watch Ben Swann’s Truth in Media episode on medical marijuana in the player below.

Drug War, Featured, Politics, US

Angela Brown: 1 Of 2 Charges Dropped For Mother Who Treated Son With Cannabis Oil

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Madison, MN- A judge dismissed one of the charges faced by Angela Brown, a Minnesota mother who was initially facing two child endangerment charges for administering cannabis oil to her son Trey.

Brown and her attorney, Michael Hughes, had filed motions to dismiss the charges last December, arguing that there was not probable cause to believe that Mrs. Brown committed child endangerment, and had requested that the Court dismiss the charges in the ‘Interest of Justice’.

The state has claimed that Brown administering medical cannabis to Trey was “sale” of a controlled substance in violation of Minnesota law which justified the child endangerment charges. A press release from Hughes stated that the government claims Brown’s actions were “dangerous and injurious” to her son and that the government had also “openly threatened the Brown family with other legal proceedings if there was any future treatment with medical cannabis by the Brown’s son” in its brief.

Judge Thomas Von Hon ruled that Brown giving cannabis oil to her son was not the sale of a controlled substance. Van Hon did not dismiss the remaining child endangerment charge claiming that administering medicinal cannabis put Trey in danger, and soon a jury will decide if Brown’s decision to treat Trey actually constituted child endangerment.

“I am very thankful that the Judge agreed with us regarding Count 1. Clearly, this was not child endangerment based on a controlled substance crime. We understand the Court’s rational for not dismissing Count 2. As long as the County Attorney maintains their position that treating a 15 year old with cannabis oil is in and of itself ‘dangerous’, then that is a factual dispute that only a jury can resolve. The Minnesota state legislature and a majority of other state legislatures belteve(sic) that treating children who are suffering from certain diseases or injuries with cannabis is not only safe, but effective. We agree, which is why we will continue to fight these charges,” said Hughes. He also noted that Brown will be in need of securing medical experts to testify at the trial.

Angela Brown was charged last summer after staff at Trey’s school found out he was taking cannabis oil to treat seizures and severe pain he had been suffering from as a result of a head injury during a baseball game. Brown’s decision to treat Trey with cannabis came after trying several other treatment options that provided no relief to Trey. The state has since held onto its argument that Angela Brown has harmed her son by giving him cannabis; medical marijuana will be legal in Minnesota this July.

In a January 9 response to the government’s brief opposing motions to dismiss the charges, Hughes challenged the prosecution’s insinuation that Angela was reckless in how she was giving the oil to her son. Hughes stated that the cannabis oil given to Trey was “a one-to-one ratio (1:1) of THC and CBD oil, and according to the bottle had 150 mg of each” and that “CBD rich oil is not going to have the intoxicating effects that an oil that is rich in THC would have. Many medical cannabis patients seek to avoid the intoxicating effects of THC, but they need some of the pain relief properties of the THC. They get products that are CBD rich, like the one-to-one oil at question in this case.”

Ben Swann has reported on combinations of THC and CBD oil and its various benefits to people suffering from ailments such as epilepsy, Crohn’s disease and cancer, and has also reported on the federal government’s claim that cannabis is not medicine while holding two patents for its use of cannabinoids for medicinal purposes.

Hughes’s response went on to state that the Brown family had visited a laboratory in Colorado to obtain CBD-rich oil after being unable to find it in retail cannabis shops. The response stated that the oil was given to the Browns legally “from someone in Colorado who clearly cared about helping a family deal with a child suffering” from a severe injury. The response claimed that it is legal in Colorado to give away less than one ounce of cannabis.

State Senator Branden Petersen (R-Anoka) introduced a bill earlier this month encouraging the Lac qui Parle County attorney to drop the charges against Angela Brown. The bill states that “Angela Brown’s son has pain so intense that he has headaches, muscle spasms, and seizures, and has self-harming behaviors that have resulted in a broken nose, broken clavicle, and wanting to end his life”. The bill also states that Mrs. Brown attempted “all other options to help Trey cope with the pain, such as administering more than 19 different prescribed medications, dealing with his suffering for four months from a serotonin overload attributed to the prescribed medications”, and “following an emergency room visit where a doctor suggested medical cannabis, Angela obtained medical cannabis oil legally in Colorado.”

(Updated January 26th, 2014, 12:50 p.m.)

Politics

Ben Swann Radio: Shona Banda Explains Her Remarkable Story On How Cannabis Oil Saved Her Life

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After being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2002, Shona Banda went through the struggles that many suffer with when battling the autoimmune disease. On the Ben Swann Radio Show, Ben and Shona discussed her tribulations while suffering from the disease and her immediate experiences after finding the cure to her disease.

During the show, when Shona Banda discussed her experiences while raising her kids with the disease, she said:

“I literally raised my kids from the couch and tried every pharmaceutical option that was offered including many many surgeries, so when I watched Rick Simpson’s movie Run From The Cure online I knew for sure I wanted to try it.”

Shona couldn’t believe the amazing effects of cannabis, when she told Ben about her first experience while smoking the plant, she said:

“Just smoking it made me fall to the floor and cry, because it’s like finding like Santa Claus isn’t real as an adult – your whole world changes. Because it helps me better than any pharmaceutical I had ever had…just smoking it.”

The road to recovery after finding the cure has taken years for Shona but the feeling of surviving came immediately to her:

“I literally went from feeling the degradation of dying, the pain from dying, knowing that I wasn’t going to be here very long to literally waking up on day three knowing that I was going to live long enough to see my grandkids someday.” 

When Ben asked Shona if people she consults with realizes the same results that she has experienced, Shona said:

“Yes, the longer you’re on the medicine the more healing happens and cancer patients actually seem to heal faster a lot of the times than people with autoimmune disease — and the longer that you had a disease or illness the longer that you need to be on the oil. I had mine seven and a half years and it took me a full year to be on the oil three times a day for me to feel comfortable enough to go down for a maintenance dose.” 

Shona went on to talk about the current media obsession with CBD oil and why modern medicine is falling behind the grassroots when it comes to the healing properties of cannabis.  You can hear more about that as well as the rest of the interview here:

The interview with Shona begins at 19:20.

More about Shona can be found in a story we published earlier this year called, The Cannabis Oil Invention Shona Banda Wouldn’t Hold Secret.

 

To watch a video of Shona making the oil, click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5K_lcBU-sI

Government Accountability, Health, Marijuana Prohibition

The Cannabis Oil Invention Shona Banda Wouldn’t Hold Secret

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Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN has recently blown the doors wide open on medical marijuana and the people in America are acting fast. Even while cannabis remains a Schedule I substance under federal law, politicians are quickly changing state laws to allow people to use the plant.

So who is it that should get credit for the medical marijuana momentum that we are experiencing right now? Dr. Sanjay Gupta definitely deserves credit but who inspired him to take a deeper look at benefits of medical marijuana?

We may never know exactly who or what inspired Dr. Sanjay Gupta to report many of the fascinating facts about medical marijuana but the discovery of the Charlotte’s Web oil can be linked to two people that have never had the spotlight in the mainstream media.

One of those people is Rick Simpson, the first person to show others how to make cannabis oil on the internet. His documentary Run From The Cure was launched on the internet in 2008 and suddenly there was a tidal wave of people creating a substance that Rick Simpson called Phoenix Tears.  At the time, the tidal wave was not visible to most people in America but there were plenty of people secretly creating and sharing Phoenix Tears in the same fashion that the bootleggers created and shared alcohol during the time of prohibition.

Although there were people having success with making oil in the same way that Rick Simpson taught, the process was impractical for people with limited amounts of marijuana. Luckily for all of us, there was a lady in Kansas named Shona Banda that was so desperate to make Phoenix Tears to save her life from Crohn’s disease that she found a way to make the oil by using a vaporizer that cost less than $50. Not long after using the oil, she was back to good health and decided to tell the world about her invention and her experiences before and after the oil.

Last Friday marked 5 years of what Shona calls her “Canna-Birthday”. On her Canna-Birthday she posted the following Facebook post with the video below:

shona-banda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM5xzL2Ta90

Americans have now recognized that the secrets about the benefits of marijuana were held long enough by people in the federal government. Due to Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s latest marijuana reports Americans are now well aware that in 2003 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services patented the oil in Patent No. 6630507 in what some would call a heavy-handed measure to halt the use of the oil.

As Dr. Sanjay Gupta wrote, “It is about emerging science that not only shows and proves what marijuana can do for the body but provides better insights into the mechanisms of marijuana in the brain, helping us better understand a plant whose benefits have been documented for thousands of years. This journey is also about a Draconian system where politics override science and patients are caught in the middle.”

It goes without saying that countless lives would have been saved in America and around the world had marijuana never been made illegal by the U.S. federal government.  Thankfully, Shona Banda has courageously helped to boost the understanding of Phoenix Tears and at the same time has helped people understand (even many politicians) that humanity is greater than politics.