The post Sixth-Grader Permitted To Use Medical Marijuana At School appeared first on High Times.
In a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, a sixth-grader permitted to use medical marijuana at school has made local headlines. And has also potentially set an important precedent when it comes to pediatric medical marijuana patients. State regulations prohibit medical cannabis use in school or on school grounds. But this recent decision may be an indication that times are changing and that laws are catching up with science.
Ashley Surin
The sixth-grader permitted to use medical marijuana at school is Ashley Surin. At eleven years old, Ashley is a veteran of the battle against illness. Surin was diagnosed with leukemia when she was only two years old. The course of treatment was successful and she has been in remission for seven years now. However, she is now coping with a subsequent complication. The treatment for her cancer, the chemotherapy drug methotrexate, caused neurological damage, which in turn led to debilitating seizures occurring on a daily basis.
Ashley’s parents, Maureen and Jim, were able to secure a medical marijuana card for their daughter. In early December, Ashley began a course of medical cannabis in the form of a transdermal patch and a topical CBD oil. The treatment has a minuscule amount of THC; not enough, though, that the medicine produces psychoactive effects. She has had only one seizure since beginning treatment, which is a marked improvement. Her parents have even described the medicine as a “golden cure.”
But there was one more obstacle that Ashley had to face. Even though Illinois has a medical marijuana program in place, the state’s law prohibits the lifesaving plant on school grounds. Not wanting to have to make the choice between their daughter’s health