Anne Mari and Cannabis Protocols: “I Can’t Risk Genevieve Getting Sick”

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Parents around the globe with kids using cannabinoid medicine are adjusting their protocols to help with sleep, anxiety, lack of educational schedule, and so much more:

“What it’s been like for the past two weeks not knowing when Genevieve’s education will resume has obviously been very challenging, I have felt immense pressure, unlike any other pressure I’ve felt in my life. One of the saddest or disappointing things to me is how I’m not surprised at how the school district my disabled daughter goes to respond to all of this is making sure her best interests are met. It feels like she doesn’t exist, her teacher finally made contact with me yesterday after all these weeks. I haven’t returned the call as I don’t hold high hopes, she can’t do the type of online education that her little sister Sydney gets” Anne Mari exclaimed to me totally overwhelmed tonight. As she stated this to me so very troubled, the non-attorney rep/civil rights lobbyist within came alive. “They’re not getting the ADA/IDEA mandated education but the feds are most certainly following other mandates – but why not for disabled children? I’m looking into this now – you’re right it doesn’t make sense” was my puzzled response back to her – as someone who knows these laws well I didn’t know quite what to say.

Federal law mandates that disabled people receive the same or like treatment as able-bodied individuals – and this especially applies to education. Understanding mom’s frustrations took on a whole new meaning as I sat down and cracked open 34 CFR (Code of Federal Regulation), which used to be my old handbook. Within this, we’ve got the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Diving further into that one that has knowledge will find that there are ‘assurances’ under the ACT that allows states to retain funds only when they meet those requirements. At this time schools can’t meet those requirements so they’ve been waived, essentially waiting for the rights of the disabled.

Nothing otherwise within the federal law itself allows states not to meet those assurances and still keep the funding to run schools. Kids aren’t being educated at school – class is not in session – so where is the money and why is Genevieve sitting at home with no services? She’s got severe Autism, Epilepsy, and O.C.D. – we’ve got that under control with plant medicine and we realize that we’re in a serious national crisis but we’re wondering exactly what’s next, will we get a response that allows us as parents to plan for our daughter’s education or implement a home education of our own – and if so – what type of supports will we receive as it’s not so simple when it comes to special ed home school. But the challenges are much more intense than questioning what’s up as everyone has that question – we’ve also had to immediately examine her daily structure and how her plant-based medicine protocol would be adjusted to optimize it. That’s a challenge we’ll take on as we always do – with a smile.

We’re less than happy about the special ed home school or lack thereof but now is not the time to challenge the actions of any entities or even question them much further. We’ve voiced our concerns and that’s good enough – for now. Instead, we have to adjust her cannabinoid medicine regimen or ‘protocol’ to handle the type of behaviors that parents endure when their severely autistic child’s life is disrupted – which is a far cry from the walk in the park one handles when a child with nothing to do at home due to school closures acts out but still must answer to their teacher online and do homework as scheduled – there’s no easy out for the nondisabled student. But, there is an easy out for the educational system in relation to both teaching and providing much-needed services to disabled kids in public schools. Technically and literally speaking, the federal law is being violated by the moment and the people being aggrieved by such violation are kids in Special Education. There’s no way to prance around this subject lightly – it simply is what it is.

Her behaviors escalated as her schedule was changed much like all other reports we’ve had come in from friends with kids that have Autism or other parents we know. “Telling her every day that something will happen tomorrow isn’t right, we can’t mislead her because she’s aware now. The cannabis oils have allowed her to grow so much that you can’t tell Genevieve we’ll go here or there and not do it, she holds us to it or will get irritated and upset as any other person would. She’s different, not less” Anne Mari explains. She’s right, and she’s using the words of the famous female Autistic woman that speaks all over the world and was one of the first to break the stigma surrounding the diagnosis with her own books and more – Temple Grandin. Our kids are very different just like you and I are different – but their diagnosis does not make them less of a person.

No longer does Genevieve only imagine she’s on a carousel horse – we got her one!

When it came to changing her protocol it wasn’t by choice – like many right now we did so by force. Our usual source for the oils she uses combined with what I make for her was hindered – in other words abruptly supply was cut off and changes had to be made immediately to secure her oil and the necessary materials to make what she uses and attempt to gain enough of a supply to stop the nerves. It’s one thing to feel sick, it’s another thing to try to protect your family from such, and a whole new subject to attempt to keep your family protected when you’re not protecting yourself. My own seems were falling apart quickly but there was no time for this. We had to move quickly to make Genevieve a bit of a different protocol and did so.

But, it didn’t stop there. It was one thing to change a few percentages of this and that but a whole different story when it came to stopping the boredom that Genevieve simply can’t tell us about. Add to that the frustration of not being able to go anywhere, her knowing that she had a big event planned yet we weren’t acting on it so in her mind we simply were not taking her where she wanted to go and where we promised. What would any child do without any school, no home school like all the other kids because she has this label called Autism and is in ‘special education’ which isn’t so special nowadays with the limitations put upon the educators? They’d get upset – they’d tell you about it all day long.

Genevieve isn’t given the opportunity to voice her complaints as she’s considered ‘nonverbal’. Out of desperation funds given to Daddy for a birthday Carousel Challenge trip as a Facebook ‘birthday fundraiser’ were added to and a carousel horse purchased. Peace at last – but wait a second – this doesn’t mean that her Civil Rights don’t matter. The fact she’s happy with a huge chunk of wood in our living room that cost a pretty penny and required a daddy to give up his ‘toof fund’ (I wear dentures that need to be replaced), simply doesn’t equate to an ‘all’s well’ without federal governments response to kids in special education right now – because that response is downright deplorable, illegal, discriminatory, and in no uncertain terms unfair to the child and parents.

Genevieve and I taking a Carousel ride in Ventura, CA in February

For us – well we have both options and access. Genevieve’s Daddy is under contract with Allegiant Trading, a large international hemp trader that sells and researches products. With access to wholesale and bulk constituents, there’s an ability to help the family in the ways that plants can. We can reach out and ask for help for the other end of things, and are, as we use more than one type of cannabis. As the project for Genevieve’s Dream Hemp Extract moves forward slowly but surely and with caution since there’s a lot of snakes in the grass in every industry – we’re not funded to handle the type of situation at hand. But at the same time, we realize that right now we are the ‘new rich people – literally. As friends and others scurry for work, get laid off, talk about working from home and attempt to get used to it – we’ve got the same monthly checks coming in as usual and my office has always been a virtual place of excitement for the world where articles like this are written, content created and shared, formulations made, and so much more.

“We’re not sure about the long term of it, we don’t know if we’ll be able to have summer session or not and that’s important to kids like her. We love to have her home but she does need the social interaction and the programs that are required at school, so it disappoints me” Anne Mari stated, “I’m emotional like others are right now but as a parent it’s overwhelming. We want our kids treated with dignity and respect – and because of that, I’m a private person both in like and on social media. I don’t talk much or do podcasts yet, I don’t do interviews. I’m picky about who I talk to.”

For now, we keep Genevieve happy with her new Carousel Horse, we have in-home therapy almost every day for 2 hours which is extensive 1:1, we interact with her and require her to vocalize as much as possible. We do our very best to make her life happy and filled with joy. I’m much more public than mommy is and share Genevieve’s Journey as much as possible to help educate the public. Our family is a living testament to love and nature – and what it can do. As we go through difficult times the types of cannabinoids used are changed and dosages differentiated to accommodate needs.

What works one day with the plant’s medicine simply doesn’t work quite the same the next over a period of time and often patients like Genevieve and I will need adjustments. Her mom has severe pain and so much more and is also a cannabis patient – we’re both in recovery and both of us rely on the plant. Changing our protocols as needed is essential. Lately, we’ve both been using a very high amount of CBD in comparison to the past. I’ve been using extensive CBG and Anne Mari has started doing soaks in it and CBD as well, continually exposing ourselves to various different ways to use multitudes of different types of cannabinoid medicine helps in determining how to formulate future products. With Genevieve, it takes a much more calibrated approach.

For parents, advocates, and educators that would like to know more about the federal law, please visit this Cornell Law website that makes it easy to dig through: