Seven-Year-Old Georgia Boy Gets Cannabis Treatment

The first child in Georgia to undergo a trial of cannabis oil to treat seizures began treatment this week. Seven-year-old Preston Weaver is one of two children who will receive the treatments, at the Georgia Regents University in Augusta.

According to NBC affiliate WXIA, Preston has begun receiving two small doses of cannabis oil per day to help deal with his seizures, which number between 70 and 80 per day. The treatment is part of a clinical trial that Georgia Governor Nathan Deal supported after the General Assembly failed to legalize cannabis.

Another proponent of legalizing the drug in Georgia is Senator Curt Thompson (D-DeKalb County), who supports the medicinal benefits that cannabis offers for cancer, HIV, Parkinson’s, and epilepsy patients.

“For some people it’s a pill. Or, it’s suppositories,” Thompson told WXIA. “In some state’s there’s actually an injectable EPI-Pen version of the CBD (cannabidiol) oil. The traditional method of treating glaucoma is the smokable form. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong, I’m just saying that’s traditional.”

“Cannabis is used medically for hundreds of conditions such as pain and sleep problems, psychiatric and neurological disorders, eating and digestive disorders, as well as the more known conditions such as seizures, cancer, glaucoma, PTSD and cancer,” says Diane Czarkowski of Canna Advisors. “Cannabis oil can be used topically, orally and infused in other ingredients so that it can be administered many different ways. As more research is done, formulations are being made to provide different ratios of the compounds within cannabis so that increased effectiveness is achieved.”

Though the legalization of marijuana is still a subject of serious debate, it seems like legalization could be a reality in Georgia, eventually. As it is, 52% of Americans believe that cannabis should be legalized.

Medical marijuana is legal in the District of Columbia and 23 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislature. Additionally, 14 states have decriminalized certain amounts of marijuana, and Oregon, Alaska, Colorado, and Washington have completely legalized it.

WAGT reports that Georgia Regents University is beginning enrollment for an expanded trial in January, which will accommodate 50 patients.