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Andrew is a 45 year old survivor of a childhood seizure disorder born in 1970 with severe allergies. Those allergies later surfaced as a seizure disorder primarily during deep sleep that essentially interrupted immunity and then cognitive function and developmental delay.  He was one of the first pediatric patients in the world to take part in the Anti Epileptic Drug (AED) trial of Depakote in 1976 at Tufts Hospital in Boston. At the time the new class of AEDS starting with Depakote and the regulation of glutamine was used with adults with very promising results. The demand for FDA approval of Depakote for children was tantamount as childhood seizure disorders were fast on the rise resulting in astonishing numbers of new cases of childhood epileptic fatalities.   He personally experienced the positive and negative consequences of orphan drug trial studies. He received world class attention from multilateral medical specialties with diagnostics as well as cognitive therapy. However he had liver complications and failure as the dose progressed. He then was abruptly pulled off the drug in 1977 but was able to remain in cognitive therapies and began the Dr Feingold Diet that removes sugar and processed foods. These non drug based solutions also flourished as a side result of the studies increase in interest in the subject.   He was able to stabilize enough from these other treatments as well as the break in the onset of his illness that Depakote afforded him. Many other children were not as fortunate as the study ended and in a complicated legal situation they were not able to continue using the Depakote until the final approval. The fatalities that resulted left a permanent impression on Andrew that instilled his drive to understand his type of illness.

 

Introductions of Cannabis as a medicine:

 

In 1979 he discovered that using non psychoactive raw edible forms of Cannabis with this diet eliminated his severe headache and ADHD symptoms during the day and his seizures at night.  This experience compelled him to study the plant's medicinal properties several years later as a teenager, in order to try and explain how it was working. He also had to come to terms with the torid circumstances of being a child grower in the midst of a complicated political environment of the plant's legality.  His studies of pre-1960 medical and botanical writings included the aspects of taxonomy, chemical constituents of the plant as well as growing and breeding with his unique micro scale plant propagation during heavily controversial years of prohibition. The subjects he was thrust into in while studying the aspects of the plant set a solid base for his education even before he realized he would ever be capable of attending college. 

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Unexpected Educational Achievement:  

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After graduating high school he attended Berklee College of Music as a recommendation for cognitive development and stability of the mathematical areas of the brain.  The idea was to strengthen the part of the neural network of the brain involved in computation in order to strengthen the overall cortex against seizures. The treatment was highly successful in mitigating ADHD and dramatically improved concentration in an alarming way.  He was able to perform all high school math in one semester at a prep college in order to apply to a better institution.

 

He went on to complete a Pre-Med Bio Degree from Merrimack College in North Andover MA and was one of the first groups of science students in the world to study using micro organic chemistry techniques and gel chromatography slated for the human genome project. Andrew was lucky to work and do extra credit labs with the professors who worked on the patents of these new aspects of chemistry and biology.  Those professors were amazing mentors and he was continually motivated to further work through his cognitive handicaps while maintaining high honors to be eligible for the advanced labs..

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He enjoyed the study of taxonomy, genetics, and physiology which continued to build upon his understanding of the Cannabis plant's medical possibilities.  His academic interests were broad ranging in philosophy, religion, and art, as well as science. This gave him both an abstract and logical model to think about his observations about the nature of species and genes.  As the president of the biology club he traveled with fellow students and studied environmental aspects of diversity in several ecosystems, ethnobotany and agriculture in Guatemala, Belize, Northern New England and at the the Isle of Shoals Marine fisheries laboratory.   

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During his senior year at Merrimack his talents as an established aquarium hobbyist fish breeder since childhood landed him a research assistant role at the Edgerton Research Laboratory at the Boston Aquarium.  The study was on Phenotypic Plasticity of African Cichlids or the ability of species to morphologically adapt real time to their environment. This work related to his undergraduate studies in genetics and taxonomy as well as his experience with the plasticity of Cannabis and its morphological ability to change its metabolism by environmental triggers or fluxes in the non equilibrium state dynamics of ecosystems. The plasticity of these fish and the Cannabis plant also relates to the plasticity of the brain and its relationship to seizure disorders as a negative result of environmental triggers. The internal non equilibrium state of the brain is much like that of an ecosystem with cells in the neural network interacting in the brain in a similar way as species interaction in the ecosystem.  These themes about nature and all its connections and similarities spurred him to continue to follow research on the Cannabis plant even after he became nearly seizure free and did not require using or growing Cannabis.  The cognitive development stabilized his cortex so well he began having his first full nights sleep with first ever realized dreams at 21 years old. This consequence of final cognitive healing is why he is heavily invested in advocating for finding a link between current epileptic treatments with pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and Cannabis as well as an appropriate non-drug cognitive treatment with a specialist as well as QEEG assisted monitoring. His aspirations are to help children like himself find a path similar to his own.  Since he was heavily handicapped as a child, and still is in some ways still today if exposed to the wrong environment, he is living proof that there is a way to have a full life while being able to contribute back to society even if you have a seizure disorder.

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Professional, Academic and Volunteer History: The building of a Pediatric Advocate

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1980-89 At 10-19 yrs old Self Employed- Landscaping, Home Maintenance,  Micro Maple Syrup Production, and Fish Breeding

1985 - Apprenticeship in Painting of New and Old Construction.

  • Introduction to hazardous materials handling, polymer bonding and custom paints and Varnish production.

1988 Arborist Apprenticeship for tree diseases, pruning, and climbing.

  • Introduction to pathology of diseases in trees, bushes and plants

  • Hazardous materials handling and contaminated wastes from removed pathological  plant disease.

1989 Graduated from Andover High School in Andover MA

  • Student government and athletic letters in track and Football

  • served as a voluntary assistant coach to middle school football during summer sessions.

1989-2014 Self Employed AMAC FRESH COATS on contractual basis

  • House Painting, Home improvements, and Aborory to pay for College

1989 Berklee College of Music Summer Performance Program

  • Piano and music theory to increase cognitive development of math skills.

1989-96 North Andover YMCA Volunteer as Nutritional and Training Coach in the Nautilus and free Weights Department

  • First experience with assisting in combining  nutrition and exercise to improve the Quality of life of members and athletic performance of high school athletes

1990 Preparatory semester at New England College Henniker NH Biology Program

  • Math, English, Philosophy, Biology and Geology

1991-95 Merrimack College North Andover Ma Pre-Medicine Biology program

  • core studies emphasis on Genetics and Taxonomy.  Also extra Philosophy, Religion and Art studies.  

  • Biology club President, advanced extra credit labs for micro organic chemistry and gel chromatography for the human Genome project.

  • Maintained a 3.2 grade average

1991  Volunteer at The Science Center of New Hampshire in Holderness NH

  • Environmental educator of local avian and reptile species and habitat considerations

  • Introduction to teaching groups, and advocacy work.

1992-94 Research aid and Fish Breeder Edgerton Research Facility at The Boston Aquarium Central Wharf, Boston Massachusetts

  • Responsible for all aspects of fish production in a strictly controlled aquatic laboratory to meet specific research goals related to environmental conditions and genetics.

  • first use of electron microscope, and fully controlled environment in a biological lab.   

1994 Aquaponic Hazardous waste worker and Material safety technician at superfund cleanup site at Fort Devens Army Base in Massachusetts with OHM Bio-Remediation Services Findlay Ohio.

  • Led morning safety meetings regarding hazardous material levels and day to day changes in OSHA required worker protection equipment.

  • Used portable Gas chromatography to assess work site contaminant levels and levels in extracted Material to be bioremediated in aquaponic aerated pond systems.

  • took samples to be sent to advanced labs to prove standard deviation of portable Gas Chromatograph to meet Ring study requirements of safety required under superfund Sites.

1996-2012 Focused full time On AMAC FRESH COATS COMPANY to pay off educational loans and mortage debts, to travel on vacations , and took several temporary employment opportunities to satisfy his unending curiosity and about life.   

2015  Accepted a Role at Theraplant and Hudson Valley Extracts to Assist in Research and Development of hybrids, extractions, and Formulations.  

  • Assisted with in house breeding of CBD Phenos and their implementation into the advanced grow methodologies already in place at the facility.

  • Assisted with guidelines and methodology of extractions with the well established team in the laboratory and state of the art equipment.

  • Assisted with improving formulations as it relates to patients needs for particular ratios for various diseases and or symptoms.

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Experience as Caregiver and Advocate

  •  Relocated to Maine from Massachusetts and bought Land to start HOPE SPRINGS FARM and be a producer for food banks and become a licensed Medical Marijuana Caregiver

  • Became a spokesperson for reduced or non psychoactive forms of Cannabis and conjunctive nutrition to support herbal approaches.  

  • Gave free lectures and explained the benefits of THCA and non psychoactive forms as well as conditions known to respond to raw unheated whole plant uses.

  • Became the first Caregiver in Maine to treat pediatric children when it was included in the list of qualifying conditions.

  • Donated funds to the Realm of Caring in Colorado and helped other similar pediatric caregivers across country understand the pharmaceutical interactions with diet and Cannabis.    

  • Brought the first testing equipment (sri8610c gas chromatograph) to Maine to test CBD levels FREE of charge to legal producers of Medical Cannabis in the state to address the poor phenotype availability and scam artists selling pour quality CBD seeds to parents and producers.  

  • Advocated for the establishment of a testing industry within Maine and New England with great assistance from Pro Verde Labs in Massachusetts and Maine, tested labs in Maine, and Know Your Grow Laboratory of Rhode Island.

  • Participated in radio show collaboration in Colorado with testing companies around the country to brainstorm industry standards and asses standard deviation issues between testing systems and company procedures.  

  • Led a New England based CBD Breeding project and produced the first 20:1 phenotype from 2:1 Phenos from the Spanish CBD Project.

  • Collaborated with Jason Cranford of Colorado on CBD veg leaf leaf analysis and the promotion of having multiple CBD Strains and producers to meet the extreme demand of children with epilepsy across the nation.   

  • Met with neurologists during patient visits and collaborated with Dr. Dustin Sulak the leading Endocannabinoid prescribing physician in New England on conjunctive approaches to combining Pharmaceutical and Cannabis together in a coordinated effort to increase quality of life of patients.

  • Donated thousands of seeds, clones and plants inside of the legal Medical system to dispensaries, caregivers and patients inside of New England's legal states.

  • Researched extraction techniques and performed experiments with ethanol, Co2 , butane extractions and ice water extractions. As well as direct infusions into carrier oils.

  • Researched formulations or dilution of extracts into carrier oils to meet broad ranging needs of patients with seizure disorders as well as other neurological illnesses and cancer.

  • Used in house Gas chromatograph and Pro Bono assistance from Pro Verde Labs to study plant metabolism of cannabinoids to track micro cannabinoid production curves.  

  • Assessed plant metabolism of CBD and THC  as a result of changing growth by environmental factors such as light frequencies and duration, harvest dates, and nutrition.

  • Testified in several states as a witness to explain the need for pediatric access to Cannabis and discuss legislative language that would benefit patients and producers as well as Law enforcement's needs to have clear rules that eliminate grey areas which put officers in danger.

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