- A California judge ruled that a kindergartner can use a cannabis-based medicine in her school.
- Brooke Adams suffers from a rare form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome.
- The judge previously gave a temporary order to let Adams to attend school while allowing a school nurse to administer the cannabis-based medicine.
A California judge ruled Friday that a kindergartner can keep using a cannabis-based medicine in her school to treat seizures after the school district opposed.
Judge Charles Marson ruled 5-year-old Brooke Adams can use her Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) oil in school. The oil is given by a nurse and helps with seizures associated with Dravet Syndrome, The Press Democrat reported Friday. She has had at least three seizures while in Village Elementary School in Santa Rosa since August, according to Brooke’s mother Jana Adams.
“She has them at different times of the day, and you don’t know when it comes,” Jana Adams said, The Press Democrat reported. “To be able to see the marijuana working and not have to call 911 because it stops the seizure is amazing.”
Brooke Adams’s seizures used to sometimes last at least a half hour, according to NBC Bay Area. The oil, however, reduced the amount of seizures she would get and the length. Marson had already given a temporary order to let Brooke Adams attend school and allowed the school nurse to administer the oil, NBC Bay Area reported.
Dravet Syndrome is a rare form of epilepsy that affects one in 15,700 people, according to the Dravet Syndrome Foundation. Seizures, sleeping difficulties, orthopedic conditions and developmental delays are some of the issues related to the disease. Treatment options vary based on severity and seizure type.
“A plant-derived cannabidiol (CBD) extract oral solution is under review with the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] for treatment of Dravet syndrome and Lennox Gastaut syndrome, and several families have reported success in reducing seizures with medical marijuana or hemp extracts,” the foundation’s website states. (RELATED: Cannabis In A Coke Can? Coca-Cola And Cannabis Company Reportedly In Talks About Potential Product)
Rincon Valley Unified School District had concerns over allowing her on school grounds because the medicine contained the active ingredient in marijuana, and authorities said having the substance on the school campus broke state and federal laws, according to The Democrat. The school offered to have an instructor go to Brooke Adams’s home for up to one hour per school day, but cannabis attorney Joe Rogoway said the accommodation was not enough to help with the child’s socialization skills with children her age, according to The Press Democrat.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires public schools to serve eligible children with disabilities at no cost to parents. Children must fall under one of the 13 disability categories, which include orthopedic impairment, intellectual disability and visual impairment, to qualify.
“We are happy to have a decision that supports our ability to educate and serve this student in our public schools,” a Rincon Valley Union School District spokesperson told TheDCNF in a statement. “We believe that we were following state and federal laws and are pleased with this current guidance. We have no plans to appeal the decision at this time.”
Rogoway did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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