Tenacious mum Charlotte Caldwell vows to fight on to get cannabis oil for her son Billy
On Monday, mum Charlotte Caldwell was stopped by customs officers at Heathrow airport after arriving on a flight from Canada with cannabis oil which is used to treat her son Billy’s epileptic fits.
The Castlederg mother has vowed to return to Canada to get more cannabis oil, otherwise she fears an epileptic fit will kill her son.
Mr Eastwood said: “It is harrowing that Billy, the first person in the UK to ever have been prescribed cannabis oil for his rare form of epilepsy has had his prescription withdrawn.
“To make matters worse, it is totally abhorrent that these lifesaving drugs which the family had to travel as far as Canada to get, have been confiscated by customs at Heathrow Airport.”
The Foyle MLA added: “The battle for Billy’s lifesaving drug could be avoided if only the Home Office would let common sense prevail.
“As a parent I can only imagine the distress Charlotte Caldwell is going through as doors continue to close on her as she does everything in her power to keep her son alive.
“The medicine to alleviate Billy’s epileptic fits should be readily available to him and not the subject of political dispute around the illegalities of drug misuse.
“I would urge the Home Office to reconsider its decision to allow Billy’s GP to reinstate his prescription as a matter of urgency, to alleviate his pain, and to allow him to continue living his life to the fullest.”
