CannAbility was founded to provide support, resources, education and access to cannabis for parents of kids living with an illness or disability. Parents seeking options through the medical and recreational laws of Colorado are often overwhelmed with options, and underwhelmed with outcomes. CannAbility seeks to close the gap for parents seeking cannabis treatments for their kids living with an ill
ness or disability. The conditions of the body do not necessarily affect the spirit. Jack Splitt is a bright, curious and charming 14-year-old living with severe cerebral palsy and dystonia. His condition requires full-time nursing care, the use a wheelchair and life support. His mother Stacey has been struggling to treatthe disease sinceJack’s infancy. Sorting through a maze of treatments and options is daunting, and the most powerful support and reliable information has historically come from other road-tested parents through parent-to-parent networks. Recently, Jack, like a number of others like him in Colorado, has been using cannabis to control his dystonia, as well as alleviate other symptoms such as pain and anxiety. The impacts were immediate, and his quality of life improved significantly. Further, he was able to reduce, and in some cases, completely eliminate, his dependence on life-limiting, sedating medications. Stacey has been a long-time advocate for rights of children living with disabilities, and her roots in policy were developedin the 1990’s when she worked on international trade agreements and anti-trust policy on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. So when Jack became the center of a conflict between ADA and cannabis laws for schools in 2015, Stacey championed the issue. (http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/05/18/hickenlooper-on-allowing-medical-marijuana-in-schools-common-sense-would-prevail/). The amendment provides safe access to cannabis on school property, allowing kids using cannabis treatments to attend school with their medication. This opened the portal for parents across Colorado, and across the country, to reach out to Stacey for like-minded support, and CannAbility was formed. CannAbility seeks to offer a peer (parent) network of support for Colorado residents and cannabis refugees, and parents of children living with illness or disability. CannAbility providessupport, resources, education and access to cannabis for parents of kids living with an illness or disabilityin a safe, nurturing environment. The money earned goes towards participating family living expenses, including Jack’s expenses, as well as education, advocacy and parent support systems.
