Charlotte and Billy leaving the GP’s surgery with the prescription for medicinal cannabis oil last year
THE mother of a young boy who suffers from epileptic seizures has accused the British Home Office of signing her son’s ‘death warrant after officials ordered an end to his cannabis treatment.
Billy Caldlwell, aged 11 and from Castlederg, was the first person in the UK to receive marijuana legally in April 2017.
But recently Billy’s GP Brendan O’Hare was summoned o a meeting with Home Office officials who told him to stop writing cannabis oil prescriptions for Billy.
Since Billy first received cannabis oil treatment in America, he no longer suffers the 100 seizures a day and now recognises his mother, can go to school, can swim and ride his bicycle.
As a result of the Home Office move, Billy has only enough cannabis oil until June.
Now his campaigning mum Charlotte will head to London this week to lobby MPs to put pressure on the Home Office so her son can resume his treatment.
Charolotte says on Facebook this morning:
“The Countdown is on!
“ Who is the individual that signed my beautiful little boys Death Warrant??
“Whether that individual be at the Home office or NI Health Department, this is an urgent appeal for you to come forward , contact us, meet with us.
“We have a resolution not just for Billy but for all Billys little Buddies and persons who desperately need this medicine!….. 
💜
SDLP Foyle Stormont Assembly member Mark H Durkan is supporting Charlotte in her campaign to get Billy’s medication restored
Charlotte and Billy Caldwell
He said: “I am appalled that the Home Office have reacted so heavy-handedly to a very sensitive and high profile case.
“It has been clear from the start that Billy’s GP has issued this treatment in good faith to save a young boy’s life, not to open the floodgates to inappropriate drug use.
“Medical professionals sign a Hippocratic oath to ensure patients get the care they need, and this action by bureaucrats has undermined that oath.”
He said the SDLP will be writing to the Home Office to ask them to retract the letter sent to Dr O’Hare on the basis that a child could needlessly die.
“This is another example of why we need the Assembly reinstated as a matter of urgency to ensure we can make our own laws around these sensitive issues and not take direction from London.”
