When she was just an infant, Brooke Adams was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome.
Her father, Jon Adams, said, “It gives her seizures that don’t stop very easily.”
Her seizures would last for a half an hour or longer and paramedics would often have to be called.
Doctors tried a number of powerful drugs to try to control and prevent them but none seemed effective and they all had powerful side effects.
Jane Adams is Brooke’s mother. She said, “Behavioral issues, sleep deprived, different things that aren’t good for her.”
When Brooke was a little more than a year old she was issued a medical marijuana card. Her parents say the daily CBD oil she uses and the emergency THC oil are very effective. She now has fewer and fewer seizures and they only last three to four minutes.
Jon explained, “With the emergency THC medicine, she pretty much just like, takes a nap, and she’s back to normal.”
Medical marijuana and recreational marijuana may be legal in California but because it’s still a federally restricted drug, doctors cannot prescribe it for treatment. All they can do is issue a medical marijuana card which is a doctor’s recommendation. So it’s still illegal to bring it on school campuses.
“They didn’t take into effect that maybe students would be on cannabis and need it at school,” Jane said.
The Adams went to court. A judge is still weighing their case but he did issue a temporary stay, allowing Brooke to attend class at least until his decision.
The judge is expected to issue his final decision on this case in late September or early October.
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