- Queensland mother Katrina Spraggon makes cannabis oil for her daughter
- Kaitlyn has a severe brain injury that triggers pain and intense seizures
- The nine-year-old requires bottled oxygen and CPR to survive day-to-day
- She is campaigning to have her local hospital supply the strain of cannabis
A mother has been forced to make cannabis oil at home to treat her nine-year-old daughter’s seizures because the Australian government refuses to legalise it.
Katrina Spraggon from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast has been petitioning lawmakers for three years to no avail, even when they allegedly threatened to stop providing her daughter Kaitlyn’s bottled oxygen supply.
The single mother says Kaitlyn relies on the THC in raw cannabis oil to ease the chronic pain in her back and hips that trigger seizures as a result of her severe brain injury.
Katrina Spraggon from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast has been petitioning lawmakers for three years to no avail (pictured with her daughter Kaitlyn)
At the moment the youngster is only being provided with oxygen and the option of CPR when a seizure strikes – neither of which are long-term solutions.
Ms Spraggon said the cannabis oil has been the only remedy that keeps her daughter alert and able to interact with her siblings.
The problem is, this particular strand is illegal.
In an interview with Nine News, the Queensland mum said Lady Cilento Hospital in south Brisbane where trialling a cannabis oil but it makes Kaitlyn sick.
The Queensland mum said Lady Cilento Hospital in south Brisbane where trialling a cannabis oil but it makes Kaitlyn sick
Ms Spraggon said the cannabis oil has been the only remedy that keeps her daughter alert and able to interact with her siblings (pictured putting the oil inside Kaitlyn’s mouth)
‘My daughter has a quality of life now. They can’t expect me to go back to giving her CPR,’ she said.
‘They’re saying I’m a cannabis activist but its got nothing to do with that. I have given my daughter a quality of life and I’ve proven doctors wrong.’
In response to her claims Queensland Health Minister Cameron Dick said: ‘We just want to make sure it’s safe for her and the child that is receiving this product.’
Ms Spraggon’s Facebook page is very open about her use of the drug and has garnered widespread support
Ms Spraggon’s Facebook page is very open about her use of the drug and has garnered widespread support.
One post in particular reads: ‘I will not be silenced. I am my daughter’s voice.’
She claims that Malcolm Turnbull ‘gave his word and shook on it’ that more would be done to look into Kaitlyn’s case.
Doctors are able to prescribe raw cannabis if they believe it will benefit patients but Ms Spraggon was allegedly told it was illegal to use cannabis in Queensland outside that framework.