Reaction: Billy Caldwell suffers seizure after cannabis oil confiscated

Posting on social media on the Keep Billy Alive Facebook page, she wrote: "1.01am this morning, Billy had a seizure”.

The 12-year-old whose medicinal cannabis oil was confiscated yesterday, has suffered his first seizure in 19 months.

The youngster has missed four of the tiny doses prescribed to him in Toronto.

Mother vows fresh bid to help epileptic son after cannabis oil seized at airport

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the SDLP is fully behind the Caldwell family in their fight to get 12-year old Billy Caldwell "the medicine he so desperately needs".

In a statement, Mr Eastwood said, it is harrowing that Billy, the first person in the UK to ever have been prescribed cannabis oil for his rare form of epilepsy has had his prescription withdrawn.

The statement added that to make matters worse, it is totally abhorrent that these lifesaving drugs which the family had to travel as far as Canada to get, have been confiscated by customs at Heathrow Airport.

"The battle for Billy’s lifesaving drug could be avoided if only the Home Office would let common sense prevail," he said.

“As a parent I can only imagine the distress Charlotte Caldwell is going through as doors continue to close on her as she does everything in her power to keep her son alive.

“The medicine to alleviate Billy’s epileptic fits should be readily available to him and not the subject of political dispute around the illegalities of drug misuse.

“I would urge the Home Office to reconsider its decision to allow Billy’s GP to reinstate his prescription as a matter of urgency, to alleviate his pain, and to allow him to continue living his life to the fullest.”

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