Mandy McKnight

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT MANDY MCKNIGHT

Mandy became an ‘accidental’ advocate for safe access to medical marijuana when her son Liam had reached the end of his medical journey with conventional therapies. Liam suffers from Dravet Syndrome, a rare and catastrophic form of epilepsy for which there currently is no cure and treatment options are extremely limited. At 7 years old, he is one of the younger medical marijuana patients authorized through the MMPR.Over the last two years after witnessing the incredible progress that Liam has made since starting cannabis as a treatment for his seizures, she has become a vocal advocate for kids and cannabis. Helping other parents navigate the MMPR regulations in order to obtain safe access to medical marijuana for their sick kids. She spoke out against Health Canada’s regulations that required Liam to smoke his medication by appearing on various national news networks, CBC’s Power and Politics, several radio broadcasts, as well as a variety of print and internet media across Canada, the US and overseas. She was also granted intervener status in the recent R.v. Smith - Supreme Court Case, under the application for Santé Cannabis where she was able to demonstrate in an affidavit what impact the restrictive regulations of dry form cannabis had on Liam’s life. She sits on the Patient Advisory Board of the Licensed Producer Bedrocan, where she hopes to bring a voice for parents and caregivers of pediatric patients suffering from devastating illnesses. She is passionate about patients, especially kids, getting fair access to cannabis as a treatment for their illnesses.