Charlotte Figi, a young girl from Colorado, was three months old when she had her first seizure. Doctors placed her on seven medications, but they were unable to quell the seizures, and the diet meant to help weakened her bones and immune system. Despite the best efforts of doctors and her parents, Charlotte suffered from 300 grand mal seizures a week. Out of desperation, her parents tried hemp extract oil after it became legal in Colorado. This product offered Charlotte’s family relief and hope where so many treatments had failed. Charlotte is now about seven years old and only suffers from two to three seizures a month. In this video, Charlotte’s parents share their struggle to find an effective treatment for their daughter’s seizures.
Hemp extract has the potential to reduce seizures in individuals with intractable epilepsy, which means their seizures do not respond to treatment. Unfortunately, intractable epilepsy patients in Missouri do not have the options available to Charlotte because hemp extract is currently illegal in our state.
In search of promising treatment, some families have even moved to Colorado for access to hemp extract, but no Missourian should have to flee their home state to find treatment.
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House Bill 2238, sponsored by Representative Caleb Jones (R-Columbia), allows hemp extract to be used as treatment for individuals with intractable epilepsy who have unsuccessfully tried at least three treatments to control their seizures. This legislation does not legalize the recreational, or any, use of marijuana because hemp extract is not marijuana. HB 2238 is a targeted bill to offer relief to individuals who are out of other options.
Patients taking hemp extract would not experience a high because the extract would be non-psychotropic and contain very little THC. As defined by the bill, hemp extract must contain a certain amount of cannabidiol (CBD), a compound responsible for the medical benefits of cannabis but not its mind-altering effects.
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To obtain hemp extract, patients would need a signed statement from a neurologist certifying that they have intractable epilepsy and could benefit from hemp extract treatment. The Department of Health and Senior Services would issue hemp extract registration cards to eligible individuals. These registration cards would have to be renewed annually, and the neurologist would be responsible for tracking the patients’ responses to hemp extract.
HB 2238 contains extensive safeguards to ensure that the hemp plants are not misused. The Department of Agriculture would partner with non-profit organizations to grow and oversee the plants. Individuals would be required to obtain a waiver to possess over 20 ounces of the product. I discussed HB 2238 with a state patrol officer, and he assured me that the language in this bill is strong enough to prevent the hemp from being abused.
Due to the bill’s limited scope, it passed out of committee unanimously and was approved by the House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support. HB 2238 will now move to the Senate for debate.
In my experiences as a physical therapist, I have held numerous children during a seizure and have seen frustration that the parents are dealing with due to the lack of good options. HB 2238 is a small change to our medical regulations that has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of Missourians with epilepsy and their loved ones. Hemp extract may not be the answer for everyone affected by epilepsy, but Missouri families deserve access to as many treatment options as possible.