Medical Marijuana is Good for Kids, Parents Say

Some parents in Michigan are turning to medical marijuana for treatment of their kids despite many opposing views.

In Grand Blanc, a family treats little Bella Chinonis, who suffers from seizures, with doses of olive oil infused with medical marijuana, Detroit News reports.

Her parents, Danny and Ida Chinonis, said that her condition became better after she started taking doses of the said medicine..

Back then, she couldn't talk, or walk like other children do. Her seizures would last from 2 to 27 minutes, and her parents have tried various medications. Now, at six years of age, she still cannot do what other kids her age can do, not until medical marijuana.

"She can stand now. She responds to voices and loves the movie 'Frozen.' She didn't do that before and the only thing different we are doing is giving her medical marijuana," Ida says according to the report.

Michigan patients have been hoping that the law would allow patients to use medical marijuana instead of prescription drugs that aren't only expensive, but could have various possible side effects.

Medical marijuana is still currently a controversy among medical practitioners. USA Today reports that some, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, are opposed to its usage in childrens' cases. They have even joined with a nonprofit group called SAM (Safe Alternatives to Marijuana) to further oppose its legalization.

Still, others who are against medical marijuana, however, simply view this as a ploy to legalize marijuana usage. Yet, for those in a dire situation and are looking for help with their kids' conditions, this is a move in desperation.

"A lot of these kids are fighting for their lives," said Robin Schneider, legislative liaison for the National Patients Rights Association, a statewide nonprofit group, as quoted by USA Today.

He adds that education about the drug means the difference between supporting the drug, or opposing its use.

"I find that doctors who attend trainings and classes understand the use of medical marijuana and support its use," Schneider said in a report on The Herald. "I see what happens when children use medical marijuana. I don't know scientifically why or how it works, but I've witnessed it."

In Clinton Township, another family struggles with how to treat their child's chronic condition.

Dwight and Ixchel Zahringer's son Brunello has been diagnosed with autism, and the parents are in desperate need for a solution.

"We've had a hard, fast education in this for the last nine months," Dwight Zahringer said in the USA Today report. "Think of it like always being at a rock concert - everything really loud - and then you're trying to have conversations or focus on things but you can't because everything is overwhelming," he adds.

Their search for medical help becomes desperate, as is the case of other parents in other places.

Autism Alliance of Michigan, a nonprofit group of doctors, therapists and parents, has no official stand on medical marijuana use. 

Other doctors have opposing views.

"The vast majority of kids with autism do not need pot, and I won't sign for it," says Dr. Harry Chugani, chief of pediatric neurology at Children's Hospital of Michigan, and a national authority on autism.

It should be reserved for those with "very bad behaviors, aggression, meltdowns," he adds.

Dr. Christian Bogner of Birmingham, an obstetrician-gynecologist whose 10-year-old son has autism, says prescription drugs suggested for autism by most doctors "are used off-label" - meaning they're approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for other conditions but not for autism.

"So if anybody tells you that cannabis isn't approved for autism, I say nothing is approved.

"These children - for some of them, there's nothing left to try," he adds.