Purple Day: Epilepsy Awareness with Consume
March 26th is Purple Day, the international day for epilepsy awareness. Epilepsy is a neurological condition also known as a seizure disorder. It is estimated that 65 million people worldwide have epilepsy and 1 in 26 people in the United States will develop epilepsy in their lifetime.
There are dozens of epilepsy syndromes that can be caused by injury, congenital defect, genetics, or other illnesses. Epilepsy syndromes are most common in infants and children. People with these syndromes often try multiple medications in order to control the severity and number of seizures. Yet one third of them are unable to find a medication that helps.
Parents of children with epilepsy have looked to cannabis as an alternative treatment for seizure disorders. Charlotte Figi was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome and was having up to 300 grand mal seizures per week when her parents looked to cannabis for relief. After trying a small dose of low THC, high CBD oil, Charlotte’s seizures drastically decreased, and she was able to stop taking other medication. The Figi family then worked with the Stanley brothers to create Charlotte’s Web, a high-CBD, low-THC strain used to treat Charlotte and others with seizure disorders.
Charlotte and her family inspired others to try CBD and cannabis products to treat epilepsy. However, state and federal laws can prevent people from accessing even hemp-based CBD products. Cannabis is recognized as a Schedule I drug by the federal government, meaning it has no medicinal value, which limits the research that can be done on using CBD to treat seizures and epilepsy. In 2018, the FDA approved Epidiolex, a cannabidiol oil, to treat a few epilepsy syndromes, yet the medication is still highly restricted.
Due to the anecdotal success of cannabis as an epilepsy treatment, many national and international epilepsy organizations are campaigning for federal legalization. Federal legalization of cannabis would allow for extensive research on the anticonvulsant properties of cannabis to hopefully provide relief to those suffering from epilepsy. Consume Cannabis Co. is honored to support those with seizure disorders and medical cannabis patients in Illinois and Michigan.
Seizures are a qualifying medical condition in Illinois and Michigan. For more information on how to get your Michigan medical marijuana card, click here. For more information on how to get an Illinois medical cannabis card, click here.
Please speak with a medical professional before trying cannabis, especially if you are on medications or have a medical condition.