Pot-Growing Ban In Nevada County Blamed For Child Not Getting Seizure Treatment
By Kelly Ryan
NEVADA COUNTY (CBS13) - Authorities in Nevada County are cracking down on outdoor marijuana growers with a new ordinance, but one father is speaking out, saying that crackdown is jeopardizing his son's life and other children's lives.
It's a compelling argument; a father is trying to save his son, but the county sees it as an issue of cracking down on a growing problem.
Forrest Hurd showed us a video he recorded of his son, Silas Hurd, having seizures. Forrest wants people to see the hard-to-watch footage and understand why he can't get Silas the medicinal marijuana to stop them.
"The county has banned any production," said Forrest.
Silas has a rare type of epilepsy resistant to many medications, but after many tries, his family found a compound of cannabis: medicinal oil that kept his seizures in check.
"Before we found the strain we didn't think Silas was going to make it through the year. He was having 50 seizures a day, several grand mals, and nothing was helping," said Forrest.
Silas' medication was being produced by a volunteer collective, but Forrest says that outdoor production is now illegal.
"This is what this is about; it's not about medicine; it's about money," said Nevada County Sheriff Keith Royal.
Royal says Nevada County recently put in place a temporary ban that prohibits the growth of outdoor marijuana. It also limits indoor grows to 12 plants, in an effort to crackdown on growers.
"We saw a significant uptick in the in the number of complaints we receive this year," said Royal.
Royal says residents complain of the marijuana smell and chemicals used in its production polluting water and killing wildlife.
"The trash...the open privys, it's terrible!" he said.
Forrest says, he too is against marijuana growers causing such destruction but believes the county can work something out instead implementing such a restrictive ordinance, that he can't give Silas what he needs.
"For convenience, we've now banned from everybody and everybody is some really sick critical children," said Silas.
Voters will be able to decide in June whether to keep the ban in place. If they choose not to, it goes back to the county supervisors to come up with a revised ordinance.