The Pro’s of Using Marijuana for Epilepsy

A Maine family helps to cure their daughter’s epilepsy by using marijuana

By Marina Osburne 
April 23 2014

      Many arguments have formed over all things medical related. Lawsuits have been filed, money has been wasted, laws have been broke, and people have become angry. A more specific case that has generated a lot of buzz in the medical world is the topic of using marijuana to treat epilepsy. This topic has formed a lot of controversies over time along with other topics medically related. Using marijuana to treat epilepsy is a great idea and can ultimately contribute to curing the disease of epilepsy. 

      Marijuana has been the topic of conversation amongst many authoritative figures and lawmakers for years. Many people are in favor of marijuana either for personal or medical reasons, and some are also against it. For years, people have been using marijuana to help treat certain illnesses. There are a number of diseases marijuana can be known to help treat, and many doctors believe in it. One illness that can be treated with marijuana is epilepsy, especially in young children.  

      Epilepsy is a disorder in the brain that causes one to have multiple seizures over a period of time. Unfortunately, many children suffer from this horrible disease. About 400,000 children suffer from epilepsy in the United States. Luckily, about 70 to 80 percent of children with epilepsy can treat and control the seizures with medication. There are many different types of medication to treat epilepsy such as Dilantin, Phenobarbital, Tegretol, Mysoline, Zarontin, Depakene, Valium, Neurontin, Zonegran, Trileptal, Keppra, Felbatol, Gabitril, and much more. However, there is one medication in particular is known for treating some severe cases of epilepsy in children that has gained much attention from the media. That medication is marijuana.  

      Marijuana can however, do a lot of positive things regarding medical health. Marijuana has proven to help treat children with epilepsy. When severe cases of epilepsy happen to children, their parents tend to typically panic. Parents confide in their children’s doctor to get them the best treatment and medication possible, but sometimes those medications do not work. There have been cases when the parents and doctors have tried everything and every medication possible to treat their children’s epilepsy, but nothing would seem to help. That is when the parents had no choice but to turn to marijuana as a last result, and not surprisingly it has worked. The THC in marijuana stimulates neurons in the brain, allowing one to feel more relaxed and at ease, which ultimately helps to keep seizures under control. This has been a successful attempt with a lot of children with epilepsy, saying that there seizures have gone down significantly.  

      In one case in particular, two parents who have tried everything to help cure their daughter’s epilepsy, and when they finally find a cure, they go through lengths to get it. Meagan and Ken Patrick have a 1 year old daughter named Addelyn who has epilepsy. They have tried pretty much everything to cure it and nothing has worked, until they tried a strain of marijuana known as “Charlotte’s Web”. Scientists have said it can reduce the number of seizures in epilepsy patients. Researchers at the University of Reading in England found evidence that “Cannabidiol, one of many components in the marijuana plant, can radically reduce the number of seizures in epilepsy patients; it reacts with receptors within the body and works as an anticonvulsant” (1). The parents decide to move from Maine to Colorado in order to get the Charlotte’s Web because it is illegal in Maine. This family is not the only family that has relocated for this strain of marijuana either. “About 100 families nationwide have already relocated to Colorado in order to obtain a strain of medical marijuana known as ‘Charlotte’s Web’ that has been shown to be effective in treating children with epilepsy” (1). They go through many obstacles to try and get their daughter better. All their hard work and dedication has definitely paid off though. After successfully getting marijuana for Addelyn, she has become so much stronger and fights off seizures and her epilepsy every day.

      The strain of marijuana used for Addelyn was originally named Charolette’s Web by a young girl named Charlotte who had epilepsy as well. Her full name was Charlotte Figi and she was only five year’s old suffering from epilepsy. She had around 300 seizures a week. She also used a wheelchair, would go into cardiac arrest, and could barely talk. Her mother started calling marijuana shops as a last result. Two years after using the marijuana, she is now almost seizure free and is also able to walk and talk. The strain of marijuana she uses is now nicknamed Charlotte’s Web, after her name. In Riccardi’s article, he states “Two years later, Charlotte is largely seizure-free and able to walk, talk and feed herself after taking oil infused with a special pot strain. Her recovery has inspired both a name for the strain of marijuana she takes that is bred not to make users high--Charlotte's Web--and an influx of families with seizure-stricken children to Colorado from states that ban the drug” (1).

      Marijuana is a good treatment for epilepsy, and it is morally and ethically wrong not to provide epileptic kids with marijuana. It is unfair that the kids suffering with epilepsy do not have a say when it comes to their health. These children’s parents do not have much of a say either when it comes to getting medical marijuana to treat their children’s epilepsy. The law is the law, and doctors or parents cannot do much to go around it. Occasionally, there will be loopholes to go around the law to get medical treatment, but it is hard to do it. There are so many families that have had to relocate in order to treat their kids with medical marijuana, and that should not have to happen anymore. Lawmakers need to start making a change in there laws to allow parents who have sick children with medical marijuana needs to treat them without having to go through much hassle to get the marijuana. After all, marijuana has so many positive factors in health, and it is about time to start showing the positive features of marijuana.

      Even though some states have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes, this issue is a national issue, and therefore there needs to be a nationwide legalization of marijuana for medical purposes. This issue has brought much stress to families dealing with epilepsy, on top of the stress they already have. Sometimes epilepsy can however, be cured with legal medications, but not all cases of severe epilepsy can be cured with legal medications. That leaves marijuana as a last resort for not just some, but many families. Parents with children who have epilepsy spend so much of their lives dealing with constant searching for medications that will cure their children, and when they finally are thrilled with finding something that works such as marijuana, the last thing they want to deal with is legal issues. Parents should not have to risk breaking the law to help their child survive.

      Marijuana is not all about the getting high and stoned persona that it is stereotyped to be. It has been known to treat a lot of serious illnesses therefore should be taken more seriously than it has been over the past years. Young children have been and still are very close to death because of the laws in certain states restricting the use of marijuana, even for medical purposes, which is morally wrong. With a medical cannabis card, people should have every right to use marijuana for their diseases and not be judged or viewed differently. There are so many positive aspects to using marijuana, and curing epilepsy with marijuana is one of them. With so many people finding that marijuana can cure their diseases, the government needs to start legalizing marijuana in all states so these people do not have to relocate to maintain their health. Marijuana has been an important contributor to treating epilepsy in many children and will continue to prosper in the medical and health world. 

Pols, Mary. "Maine Parents Fight to Treat Sick Children with Medical Marijuana." Portland Press Herald. 15 Dec. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 April 2014. 

Riccardi, Nicholas. "Kids with Seizures Use Pot As Treatment." Denver Post. 18 Feb. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 April 2014.

Reilly, Mollie. "Kentucky Lawmakers Advance Marijuana Oil Bill, Moving Mother Of Epileptic Child To Tears" huffingtonpost.com. The Huffington Post. 20 March 2014. Web. 23 April 2014. 

Price, Michelle. "Utah to Welcome Marijuana for Limited Medical Use" abcnews.com. ABC News Network. 25 March 2014. Web. 23 April 2014.  

Knickerbocker, Brad. "Chris Christie Approves Medical Marijuana for Children--With Some..." Christian Science Monitor. 16 Aug. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 April 2014.