Nicole Gross was so desperate to find relief for her son's near-constant, debilitating seizures that she moved him from Naperville to Colorado so he could receive medical marijuana.
Weeks after Chase Gross, 8, started taking a marijuana oil extract through a dropper, his mother said she saw a dramatic decrease in the number of daily seizures he had, allowing him to make developmental leaps such as dressing himself and learning new sign language words, since his condition has left him unable to speak.
Gross became so convinced of pot's effectiveness in treating her son's severe epilepsy that she joined a growing number of parents and advocates lobbying Illinois to change its rules not only to add epilepsy to the list of qualifying conditions but to make medical marijuana available to children, as Colorado and several other states do.
The drug's positive effects on Chase, his mother said, were "shocking."
Public opinion has been shifting in favor of medical marijuana: Twenty states have legalized it, and the vast majority allow children access to it. But its use, particularly among juveniles, remains controversial.
Marijuana is illegal under federal law, where it is classified as a dangerous substance with no medical value. While proponents cite largely anecdotal evidence as they lobby to expand the use of medicinal pot for a growing number of conditions, many physicians warn that there's not nearly enough research to demonstrate marijuana's effectiveness for treating sick adults let alone children.
Dr. Kent Kelley, chief of pediatric neurology at NorthShore University HealthSystem's Evanston's hospital, treats several children who suffer from seizures and whose parents have asked him about marijuana as a last-resort option. He said he advises them to wait and to seek out clinical trials for their children.
"It's a hard thing to ask parents. On the other hand, it may not be as good as we think, so we want data to know how effective it is and what the risks are," Kelley said. He added that he would support the proposed change in the Illinois law but hopes more clinical research would take place first.
The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that while research on pot's potential therapeutic benefits is scarce, the drug's harmful effects on memory, motivation, judgment and motor control are well-known.
Dr. Sharon Levy, director of the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program at Boston Children's Hospital, said using state laws to sidestep federal medical regulations is bad public policy. She noted that marijuana abuse remains common among her patients and that use during adolescence is associated with drops in IQ and increased rates of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.
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Parents push for medical marijuana for kids with epilepsy