Alexis Bortell | A Hero for Freedom

WRITTEN BY HEATHER DEROSE + PHOTOS BY JACQUELINE COLLINS

The cannabis community is filled with amazing stories of courageous people fighting for what they know is right. Cannabis remains federally illegal, even though the government holds the patent 6630507, referring to cannabinoids as antioxidants and as a neuroprotectant. The plant has affected so many people’s lives differently, and for some, it’s saved their life and ended their suffering. One amazing leader for the plant is 13-yearold Alexis Bortell. Her family moved from Texas to Colorado to treat her intractable epilepsy with cannabis. Alexis and her father, Dean Bortell, are taking a stand against the federal government. In fact, they are among several cannabis patients and advocates challenging the federal scheduling of cannabis. Grass Roots America Magazine recently had the honor of speaking with Alexis about her journey.

“I didn’t start treating with cannabis or hemp products until we moved from Texas to Colorado in 2015 and I had my red card. I treat with medical cannabis for intractable epilepsy for which there is no other effective treatment. First, I tried low-THC oil, and it worked better than the pharmaceuticals, but I still had a seizure about a month after starting it. My doctors switched me from a 26:1 oil to a 15:1 Haleigh’s Hope oil and added high- THC products daily to my medicine. I am now over 4 years with no seizures and I am only taking Haleigh’s Hope botanical (hemp) oil, Cannatol THC oil, and Mary’s Medicinals THC products. Without High- THC products I would NOT be seizure free.”

Although Alexis has been seizure free for over 4 years, there are still challenges she faces every day, especially because of the laws pertaining to her traveling with her medication and limited access in her home state of Texas. Alexis says, “I don’t see my family much except for my parents and my sister, and when my grandparents from Oklahoma and Texas come visit me once or sometimes twice a year. We used to see them in Texas every weekend. It’s made our family here closer, but everything else has pretty much gone away because I can’t safely travel to Texas with my medication (which I need to keep with me at all times, like an EPI-Pen) until the classification of cannabis under the controlled substance act is rescinded or deemed unconstitutional.”

The Bortell family are very generous and passionate about helping others. Together they own and operate OneLuv Organics, where they make luxury hemp soaps, shampoos and more! “OneLuv Organics is my company (with my sister Avery and Mom) that I started to share products we make and use everyday to help raise money for my Patches of Hope program. Patches of Hope provides USDA Organic fruits and vegetables to homeless and medical refugee families at places like the Marion House in Colorado Springs. We have a 35 acre farm and since cannabis law prevents me from collecting most of my dad’s VA benefits or even going to veterinary or medical school (can’t test positive for THC and have a federal prescribers license), I had to find something I enjoy and I could do after high school. Right now, we make amazing soaps and shampoos that we sell nationwide online and in some retail stores. This summer (June), we are starting to sell our vegetables at farmers markets near Castle Rock, CO. I hope to expand my Patches of Hope program and OneLuv Organics products to every state someday.”

Alexis has overcome and achieved so much and she does so with an admirable passion. Being part of a lawsuit against the federal government to allow access to her medicine for herself and the country is something she’s especially excited about. Alexis says she’s looking forward to, “Winning my lawsuit and having the same opportunities as anyone else if I work hard. Right now, I can’t. I can’t legally cross any state lines without committing a federal felony, so even with my business, I can’t travel so I’m limited. I can’t even go in a post office in legal states because it is federal property. It’s frustrating and makes my OneLuv Organics work harder because we ship soaps almost every day and I have to either hire or ask someone else to take them to the post office. Teachers say you can do anything if you work hard but for people like me, that’s not true. I don’t think the framers of the constitution would have ever agreed to create “medical refugees” when they wrote the constitution. That’s why I am researching Article V Convention of the States and have some current and former state legislators that are and will help me. Some in “non-legal” states even. I think if my lawsuit fails, Article V Convention of the States may be the only hope for freedom cannabis patients have.”

Alexis understands there are so many people who do not have access to their medicine and recommends relocating to gain legal access. “If they are in Texas, I would recommend they move to Oklahoma. Seriously, I know it sounds terrible to have to pick up and move to another state just to be able to take necessary medication, but I think Texas leaders showed again this year that they believe in tyranny and not liberty. I think as long as Lt. Gov. Patrick and Gov. Abbott are in office, patients like me will never be Free. For everyone else, each state is different. If you live in a state that doesn’t have access to cannabis and most politicians won’t help you, maybe you shouldn’t advocate for cannabis. Instead, maybe we should all advocate for ‘Ballot Initiatives’ so the people can decide and take power back from the government. That seems to get legislators attention more than asking for permission to get a plant. I’ve mostly lost faith in government and believe it is time to remind the government that our medical decisions and private life are NONE of their business.”

For those interested in learning more about cannabis medicine, Alexis recommends, “Find a doctor that will at least talk to you on the phone so you know what you are talking about. One of my doctors (Dr. Gedde) at Vibrant Healthcare used to do something like that and still might. I wouldn’t mention it to any doctor in an illegal state. I hear lots of stories about doctors and hospitals stabbing parents in the back and it’s sad.”

We asked Alexis her thoughts about the lawsuit and recent announcement and here’s what she had to say. “This lawsuit may be my last chance federally except for my Article V work. If we lose in court I can’t really do anything with federal legislators because I can’t even go on federal property to lobby. And if I did, there would be a court ruling against me so if me or my parents could get arrested and we could potentially go to jail or my parents could be taken away from me and my sister. I want to be brave, but the thought of losing my parents or being separated from my sister scares me.”

Alexis is one of several plaintiffs in the Federal Cannabis Lawsuit against the federal government petitioning the rescheduling of cannabis as a Schedule 1 Drug. The lawsuit was filed against the Justice Department in 2017. Michael Hiller represents the Bortell family as well as the other plaintiffs. They include Sebastien Cotte, father of Jagger who needs cannabis medicine, Jose Belen, A united States Army Combat Veteran, Marvin Washington, former professional NFL player, and the Cannabis Cultural Association, which is a nonprofit. The Cannabis Cultural Association is based in New York who helps marginalized and underrepresented communities engage in the legal cannabis industry, emphasizing criminal justice re- form, access to medical cannabis, and adult use legalization. Following the release that the Federal Appeals Court reinstated the complaint and declined the dismissal of the Federal Cannabis Lawsuit on May 30th, Hiller stated, “This case represents the first time in history that a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Controlled Substances Act has survived dismissal.”

He told Grass Roots America Magazine, “That this is the most important legal battle in which I’ve been involved. Every day we work on this, we are reminded of how much is on the line. We are fighting for the rights of medical patients; fighting for principles of social justice and the hundreds of thousands of persons of color who have been wrongly incarcerated under the auspices of an unjust law; we are fighting for the personal freedom of millions of all Americans.”

“This case, which we’ve been handling pro bono since its inception, has cost us over a million dollars to prosecute. And I wouldn’t take any of it back for a second. Some day, when the history is written on how the laws pertaining to cannabis changed, I’ll know that we were a part of something important that helped improve the lives of others. As a lawyer, I couldn’t ask for more than that.”

“If we lose the Federal Cannabis Lawsuit, I would still focus on OneLuv Organics and try to build the best future for myself I can in Colorado. Like I said, life isn’t perfect. That is one lesson I have learned. Cannabis isn’t a choice for me, I need it to live, so I choose to fight with this lawsuit, and if the court says I’m not equal, I will prove them wrong by building a great company in Colorado that hires cannabis patients equally to non-cannabis patients. I’ll never test employees for cannabis at OneLuv Organics no matter what the law is.”

“I don’t support legalization and I’ll explain why. Legalization assumes in America we have positive liberty. That means our liberties come from government and they get to tell us what we can do. That is not what the framers of our constitution believed in, and in my opinion, it is a terrible system. The framers believed in Negative liberty which means our liberties come from ourselves and our creator. I use the example of a person in a field that has hidden traps and they need to get out. Positive liberty would be the government putting the traps there and then if they think you should have it, giving you a map to get out safely. With negative liberty, the government stays off your private property and out of your private life, meaning there are no traps in your field and you don’t need a map or help to get out. It’s pretty simple, but I don’t think they teach this in most schools and I think they should. (see my 1hr interview on DC420LA on YouTube for a live explanation of this)”

“Instead of legalization, I support the government removing cannabis laws and leaving us alone to make our own medical decisions and grow our own gardens. If someone wants to create a product that has THC and pharmaceuticals in it, like a painkiller with fever reducer to sell commercially, that should be regulated by the FDA, but that’s not even the question.”

‘The real question is: “Should the government be allowed to take your property, freedom, or your life because of a safe plant that some people need to live?”.’

We at Grass Roots America Magazine fully support the Bortell family, all the courageous plaintiffs in this federal lawsuit, and their diligent attorney Michael Hiller for taking a stand against our government in the name of freedom.

Cannabis has the ability to make the world a better place for us all. This lawsuit against the government marks a significant time in our nation’s history as we move forward with the needed de-scheduling and legalization of cannabis. It shows first hand, if we can work together for what we believe in to make the change we want to see for our future, together, we will prevail.

It takes several brave heroes to make a difference in this world, and Alexis Bortell is certainly one of those heroes. With that being said, we’d like to end on the brave words Alexis gave as a response to the real question she asked previously. “Should the government be allowed to take your property, freedom, or your life because of a safe plant that some people need to live?”

“I believe the answer is “no” and that the framers of the constitution would have agreed with me. Am I afraid the federal government will say I’m not equal and eventually come after me and my family? Yes. I pray every night they won’t.” - Alexis Bortell

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GRAM is presenting this article unedited. We did not change anything in the quotes supplied for this article. Only very minor edits were made to the additional content.