It is an unfortunate reality that some families across the nation continue to sit and hope for a solution to obtaining a medicine that is currently illegal in their state. In Nebraska, residents continue to fight for the ability to legally obtain CBD oil; however, they are now properly armed with numerous studies released regularly that demonstrate that CBD can help those suffering from devastating seizures, epilepsy, and other debilitating illnesses.

Last Friday, Nebraska residents came out to tell their personal stories in front of lawmakers, bringing with them a wide range of powerful emotions and insight into what it’s like living without access to cannabidiol.

Jennifer Anton’s brother has been suffering from seizures for 37 years.

“We don’t want to go to prison for going to Colorado and bringing back medicine to help him with. We’re just here to show support and pray to God that something will help us, help my family, help my brother through all of this.” Anton says.

He’s been on many different medications, but nothing seems to work. Suffering from migraines every single day.

“We just feel desperate for help. He’s busted open his head more times than I can even imagine.” Anton adds.

[…]

As another week passes, the understanding of CBD on a global level progresses. To understand the importance of this progress, one only needs to look towards families in Oklahoma who continue to make some of the most difficult decisions of their lives for the health and well-being of their children.

Five-year-old Olivia and her mom Hillary Rayburn moved to Colorado Springs in search of a solution to Olivia’s daily seizures. Oklahoma’s News9 highlights the challenges Oklahoma families continue to face in accessing CBD.

One year ago, Zoey Johnson couldn’t talk and could barely walk. She was having seizures all the time and her family had run out of options.

“It was at the point that if we didn’t try it, she could have died,” said Mallory Johnson, Zoey’s mother.

That “it” is Charlotte’s Web, a sativa marijuana strain with medical potency due to its high-CBD content. This strain was specifically cultivated by Colorado breeders The Stanley Brothers for a young epileptic patient named Charlotte.

Johnson gave it to her daughter for the first time about a year ago.

“In that first eight days she said 20 new words and wrote her name,” Johnson said.

This was one of the first effective strains bred with little to no psychoactive effects. However, due to its source from marijuana, families across the country have been forced to pack up and make a life changing decision to chase after it in one of the states where marijuana is legal.

“Still, for dozens of other families in Oklahoma, financial and employment considerations make moving difficult. Their best hope is a change in attitude in the legislature, which seems to be happening.” As these stories continue to grow, lawmakers in Oklahoma are considering allowing medical trials of CBD oil for children with seizures.

“However, Zoey and Olivia’s families say they’re headed west. They found something better than gold in the mountains and they’re not coming back.”

Despite these challenges, there is strong progress and awareness being pushed forward across the nation from Alabama to Utah. The University of Alabama at Birmingham is moving forward with a study using marijuana-derived cannabidiol with a focus on children and adults with severe seizure disorders. While they are still awaiting federal permission, information from the UAB Cannabidiol Program states there “will be no charge to patients for CBD or for participation in the trial, but they will need to continue to see their regular primary care physician and neurologist.”

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