Court urged to drop charges against father who gave cancer-stricken daughter medicinal cannabis

A father who was arrested after giving his cancer-stricken daughter medicinal cannabis has gained the online support of more than 60,000 people after a petition was set up calling for the charges against him to be dropped.

Adam Koessler, who was arrested on January 2 this year when he was caught giving medicinal cannabis oil to his two-year-old daughter Rumer Rose, is due to appear at Brisbane Magistrates court tomorrow facing charges of possession of a dangerous drug (cannabis) and administering a dangerous drug (cannabis) to a minor under the age of 16.

So far 64,111 people have signed the online petition on change.org which asks politicians to get "the charges against him dismissed by a court" and to give him "the right to decide the treatment options for his own child."

Koessler, who has been banned from seeing his daughter whilst on bail, reportedly mixed the cannabis oil with coconut and gave it to his daughter as it had previously appeared to deliver "miraculous" signs of improvement to her condition.

The supply and use of medicinal cannabis oil is currently a criminal offence in Australia.