Mother of sick boy seeks legalization of medical marijuana

In this June 11, 2018 file photo, Billy Caldwell sits with his mother Charlotte. AP

LONDON — The mother of an epileptic boy at the center of a debate over medical marijuana in the UK is calling for an urgent meeting with ministers to discuss liberalizing British policy.

Charlotte Caldwell said Sunday she also wants assurances from the government that her 12-year-old son Billy will be able to keep receiving cannabis oil once a 20-day emergency supply approved by the government runs out.

Caldwell wants to make sure there isn’t “another battle” over the medicine that she believes has warded off potentially life-threatening seizures for her son.

Billy remains hospitalized in London for severe seizures after border agents at Heathrow Airport confiscated the cannabis oil his mother was bringing in from Canada.

Former drugs minister Norman Baker has backed her call for an overhaul of laws prohibiting marijuana for medicinal purposes. /ee