A Public Affair: Chilhood Epilepsy and Medical Marijuana

Rachael and Shawn Selmeski moved to Colorado for the sake of their 2-year old daughter, Maggie. Maggie has catastrophic epilepsy. This is a rare but devastating illness that can lead to profound developmental delays and death. Conventional treatments include powerful medications and surgery, and in many cases, these treatments can be helpful. But some children don’t responds to these conventional treatments, yet they DO seem to respond to a special strain of medical marijuana called Charlotte’s Web. That special marijuana is named after Charlotte Figi, a young Colorado girl who was nearly catatonic until her mother started giving her small doses of this special medicinal marijuana. Charlotte now can laugh and play. Her recovery has led many U-S families who have a child with catastrophic epilepsy ask for access to Charlotte’s Web. Since it’s a federally illegal substance, most can’t get Charlotte’s Web in their home states. So 200 families have moved TO Colorado to get Charlotte’s web, and thousands more are on the waiting list to move to Colorado.