Special pot strain attracts pediatric patients
Matt Figi hugs and tickles his once severely-ill 7-year-old daughter Charlotte, as they wander around inside a greenhouse for a special strain of medical marijuana known as "Charlotte's Web," which was named after the girl early in her treatment, in a remote spot in the mountains west of Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 7, 2014.
A few years ago, Charlotte's doctors were out of ideas to help her. Suffering from a rare disorder known as Dravet’s syndrome, Charlotte had as many as 300 grand mal seizures a week, was confined to a wheelchair, went into repeated cardiac arrest and could barely speak. Now Charlotte is largely seizure-free, able to walk, talk and feed herself, with her parents attributing her dramatic improvement to this strain of medical cannabis.
Colorado
Workers cultivate small clones of "Charlotte's Web" marijuana in a remote spot in the mountains west of Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 7, 2014.
"Charlotte's Web" is a proprietary strain of marijuana in which the psychoactive THC has largely been bred out to remove the drug's "high", and the other cannabinoid compounds thought to be medically useful accentuated.
Increasing evidence that the pot strain is helping some children with epilepsy has led more than 100 families to relocate to Colorado for treatment since last summer, when success stories about Charlotte's Web began circulating via social media.
Colorado
Colorado
Elizabeth Burger, 4, holds her mother's hand at home in Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 7, 2014.
Elizabeth suffers from severe epilepsy and is receiving experimental treatment with a special strain of medical marijuana, which she takes orally as drops of oil.
After years of nearly losing their daughter while trying and failing with dozens of mainstream treatments, Elizabeth's parents moved from the east coast to Colorado, where they say they have had luck with "Charlotte's Web."