Some people say cannabis has no therapeutic value – those people are wrong.
Charlotte Figi was born in 2006. She was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome, a rare and debilitating form of epilepsy that appears when children are young. After pharmaceutical treatments proved ineffective in treating up to hundreds of seizures a day – her family decided to try medical marijuana.
Her mother, Paige Figi, sought the help of the Stanley brothers, dispensary owners, in Colorado. They developed a strain of cannabis rich in cannabidiol (CBD a non-psychoactive compound). The strain helped reduce Charlotte’s seizures and she was taken off anti-epileptic pharmaceutical drugs. They named the strain “Charlotte’s Web” in her honor.
Charlotte passed away yesterday from coronavirus complications.
The impact Charlotte’s life had on the advocacy for medical marijuana and CBD is tremendous. Her story continues to bring hope to parents and patients and helped in reducing the stigma surrounding therapeutic cannabis use.
Other Resources:
Charlotte’s story was featured on Dr Sanjay Gupta’s “Weed” program
The case for medical marijuana in epilepsy, Epilepsia, 2014
