Mum of epileptic teen hails '˜fantastic news' of medicinal cannabis legalisation

Victoria Riddick, from Apsley, fought for five years to get her severely epileptic daughter access to cannabis oil.

And she says the product helped control Rosie’s violent seizures.

But after months of uncertainty the government announced doctors would be able to prescribe cannabis products to patients from November 1.

Mrs Riddick said: “This is fantastic news and definitely a step in the right direction.

“When I heard the news in my car I didn’t know what to do for five minutes, this is something I wanted for so long.”

Rosie Riddick was diagnosed with severe epilepsy when she was four-years-old, two years after an almost deadly battle with meningitis.

Now the 15-year-old, who attends Egerton Rothesay School, has more than 10 seizures a day.

In a desperate attempt to treat Rosie’s condition Mrs Riddick took her daughter to California for cannabis oil treatment two years ago.

And in their eight-week stay Mrs Riddick says her daughter’s symptoms and seizures reduced ‘significantly’ thanks to the product.

The mum says is now in a race against time to get cannabis oil prescribed to her daughter.

Mrs Riddick said: “We really are in dire straits, I hope something happens quickly so Rosie can benefit from the move.

“The medication she is on now is starting to have an effect on her heart, and she is suffering from hypotension, which is very worrying, she has been to Watford twice in a ambulance in the last week.

Mrs Riddick, despite welcoming the government announcement, is sceptical on how prescriptions of cannabis will be made.

She said: “I think the big issue at the moment is that most doctors will not know what to prescribe, and would not have received training on how to treat epileptic children with medicinal cannabis.

“On paper it sounds promising but what I am not sure about is what they are going to be prescribing and whether that is especially for epilepsy.”

Mrs Riddick thanked Charlotte Caldwell, another mother who campaigned for a law change after her son Billy was denied access to cannabis oil.

She said: “She is just a amazing woman for bringing our battle to the mainstream.”