My brother has been suffering from epilepsy since we were both toddlers.
It was recognizably shocking to myself and others at the time because I couldn’t understand what was happening to him while I was in his seizures and why. My parents tried to explain the illness to me, but it was a number of years before it made sense. He was in and out of hospitals and medical offices for most of our childhood. The medications he was prescribed over the years often made him tired, lethargic, and unable to focus. At one point our parents had him on a prescription stimulant to counteract the sedation from his seizure medication. Barbiturates are often used for serious cases of epilepsy and they are literally tranquilizers, so you can imagine how taxing it would be for any child to focus in school or show up at all if they’re taking these medications biweekly. I thank god everyday since my brother discovered medical marijuana. Now that we’re in university, he was ready to try a odd approach to treating his epilepsy. When he started vaporizing cannabis oil out of a pen, his symptoms subsided and he was able to avoid getting serious seizures for most afternoons out of the week. He has knocked back his symptoms and pain by at least 75% he says. I am just thrilled to finally see my brother get much needed relief for his pain. Treating seizures is just one example of the plethora of medical uses for marijuana and its derivative cannabinoids. He is able to take less prescription medication if he’s consistent with his cannabis use. Thankfully my brother has a up-to-date outlook on life since discovering medical cannabis.