Charlotte Figi Case

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Charlotte Figi was only two and a half years old when diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome. Dravet Syndrome is severe condition where the patient suffers from hundreds of seizures a day. Her family was hopeless. They had tried all prescription medication and nothing had worked to ease her seizure activity. Charlotte had to wear a helmet because of the brain damage she suffered from the rapid epilepsies. At the age of five, doctors told her family there was nothing else that could be done. Then, Charlotte’s desperate mother thought of experimenting with medical marijuana. Her mom thought of the idea to use this controversial medicine because of a story she heard about with another child who also suffered from Dravet Syndrome. The child was treated with the use of cannabis in California. The Figi family then decided to try medical marijuana on Charlotte. Charlotte’s first use resulted in …show more content…
Marijuana is a plant that has a psychoactive ingredient in it called THC. Many doctors recognize the health benefits cannabis can serve. “One of the most documented uses of medical marijuana is in the treatment of pain. Medical marijuana may be a better painkiller than narcotic painkillers, like oxycodone, with less potential for addiction,” says WebMD Chief Medical Editor Michael W. Smith, MD. Support by doctors varies from what kind of doctor they are. The most supportive doctors of medical marijuana are oncologists. An oncologist is a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer using chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy, and targeted therapy. Eighty two percent of oncologists see the medical value of cannabis. These doctors see the day to day pain a cancer patient goes through. They recognize that the medical marijuana helps ease the pain of chemotherapy and can help boost the appetite of a patient so they do not become weak and unable to receive such strong chemotherapy treatments