"30 Seizures a Day": He Was Relieving His Epileptic Son with Cannabis Oil, a Father of the Family Exempted From Punishment

The man was found guilty this Thursday of using narcotics in recidivism, in French Polynesia, but was exempted from punishment because of his son's medical situation.

A father has been convicted of administering cannabis oil to his child suffering from epilepsy. This court ruling raises the question of alternative treatments in the face of France's very strict drug laws.

On Thursday, May 15, 2025, a man, named Ariimatatini Vairaaroa, was found guilty by the Court of Appeal of Papeete in French Polynesia, of the use of narcotics in recidivism against his son, autistic and epileptic. Indeed, he administered him cannabis oil, as our confreres of the Parisian indicate. Without penalty, the man found, according to his lawyer, this only way to relieve his son. It is hard to hear that a father, who does everything he c…