Mary Jane Pierce's parents drop cannabis oil crusade

Parents of a severely ill baby girl in care at BC Women'sHospital in Vancouver are no longer seeking the right to treat herwith cannabis oil.

Justin Pierce and Michelle Arnold have withdrawn their courtapplication asking forgreater control of treatment for theirfive-month-old, Mary Jane Pierce, who has cerebral palsy.

Arnold and Pierce both have epilepsy, and take cannabis oil, and they believed the oil could help theirdaughter.

They allegethat officials from the Ministry of Children and Family Development pressured them into giving upcustody of their baby.

The girl was born prematurely at 25 weeks with serious health problems, including brain bleeding, cerebral palsy and severe seizures.

LawyerErin Haupt, who represents the parents, said Mary Jane has beenbreathing without a ventilator for two weeks and her family hopes can bring her home someday.

Last month, the couple won a temporary injunction in B.C. Supreme Court preventing doctors from taking their baby off life support.

A protection hearing is expected in several weeks to determinewhether the Ministry of Children and Family Development's temporarycustody of Mary Jane becomes permanent.