One of the most controversial issues surrounding medical marijuana is whether or not children should have access to it. While certain states allow pediatricians to recommend cannabis, new dilemmas come to light. For example, should pediatric medical marijuana patients be permitted to take their medication on school grounds? In Illinois, a sixth-grader who depends on medical cannabis to suppress seizures has been the center of such a legal battle for almost a year. Last fall, her parents fought to get her the right to use her medicine on school premises. While they had a victory back in January, the fight was far from over. This week, the case led to legislation that would allow all children access to medical marijuana in Illinois schools.
The Surins
Doctors diagnosed Ashley Surin of Hanover Park, Illinois with leukemia when she was two years old. Though her treatment was successful and Ashley’s cancer is in remission, she still experiences side effects from her chemotherapy medication, namely methotrexate. Without medication, she has seizures on a daily basis due to neurological damage from methotrexate.
According to Ashley’s parents, medical marijuana has been a “golden cure” for her seizures. High Times reported last fall that Ashley uses CBD oil and a transdermal patch which contains almost no THC. This means that while wearing the patch, Ashley doesn’t experience the ‘high’ from the psychoactive cannabinoid.
Medical marijuana has also allowed Ashley to stop taking other prescriptions. Maureen Surin, Ashley’s mother, told local news, “Now she’s five months seizure free today and she’s off three prescription meds that we were on for almost seven, eight years.”
Ashley Surin has legal access to cannabis through her medical marijuana recommendation. However, using medical marijuana in school, even the