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In his compelling documentary, "Weed"
You've looked at the evidence
there is real science now out there
admits he was flat-out wrong about weed
a year-long journey
that changed what many of us thought about marijuana
myself included
I think we've been terribly and systematically misled
we used to only picture this
then we showed you this
medical marijuana
treating seizures
pain
dozens of other ailments
Charlotte's doing amazing
just better and better each month
but we learned this wasn't the end of the story
it was just the beginning
I think we went from about 150 calls a month to over 4000
there are still so many issues to be addressed
the Federal Government says that marijuana is among the most addictive drugs with no medicinal value
many serious scientists say they're wrong
it's a medicine
it's the politics of pot
pitting policy against patients
trapped in the middle
sick, qualified people who want medical marijuana
but can't get it
because it's illegal
if you try to go back to Ohio with your medication
...we'll be arrested
all for a plant that you are going to see can work wonders
for pain in a grown man
M.S. in a woman at the peak of her life
and seizures in a little girl
we travelled the globe asking scientists
patients and policy makers
for a solution
I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta
and this is "Weed 2 - Cannabis Madness"
this time our journey begins in New Jersey
ironically called, "The Garden State"
it's the Summer of 2013
a quiet neighborhood diner
about to become the site
of a headline-making confrontation
between a frantic father
Brian Wilson
and the outspoken governor
Chris Christie
all over Wilson's 2-year-old daughter
Vivian
I was wondering what the hold up is. It's been like 2 months now
these are complicated issues
I know you think it's simple, but it's not
it was a David and Goliath moment
please don't let my daughter die, governor
you've got a governor who is one of the leading Republicans in the nation
and this dad who's got a little girl
who he's desperately worried and in love with
who just wants to do the best thing for her
you see, Brian Wilson's daughter, Vivian
was dying
her brain continuously locked in seizures
and nothing had worked
the Wilsons were now pinning their hopes
on medical marijuana
they'd read about marijuana on the internet
and they saw stories about it saving lives
like little Charlotte Figi
who's story was told in our first documentary
"Weed"
I remember I was actually at the gym on the treadmill
and I saw a preview - I was watching the TV
I was so excited because I knew that everything was going to change
at that moment
they hoped marijuana would rescue Vivian
from the virtual prison she lives in
where bright lights
loud sounds and patterns
can all induce a seizure
that's why she wears that patch on her eye
if she could be blindfolded she'd be seizure-free
because it's everything - it's all visual stimuli
she can't leave the house
Vivian, do you know this book?
Vivian and I first played together in her darkened
quiet
very controlled bedroom
it quickly became clear how tremendous a toll this isolation takes on Vivian
peek-a-boo
but also the entire family
no one here has a normal life
including Vivian's older sister
4-year-old Adelle
like everyday on the way home from school she's like, "Can we stop at the park?"
and I'm like, "We can't stop at the park...
because Vivian's nurse leaves at 5
and we have to be home."
what would Adelle say about that?
She'll say, "We can't."
when we pass the park
she says, "Those kids are at the park but we can't go to the park because Vivian has seizures."
and it like kills ya', you know
they're so severely affected
New York University neurologist Dr. Orrin Divinsky
is Vivian's doctor
he's also one of the world's leading epilepsy experts
I think for the families who have given Western medicine a really good chance
and there are a lot of them and Western medicine has failed their children
but the Wilsons now found themselves in the political crossfire of pot
marijuana was legalized for medicinal use here in New Jersey
right before Christie took office
in January of 2010
it was done by his Democratic predecessor
but once in office
Christie blocked the legislation for more than a year
he eventually signed one of the strictest, most limiting medical marijuana bills
to date
just six approved stores in the entire state
and perhaps most damaging for Vivian
no edible forms of marijuana allowed
which was crucial
the only option then for this 2-year-old
would be to inhale it
talk to Brian Wilson
protests erupted across the state
and that's why Brian Wilson took things into his own hands
that day in August
We had our experts reach out to you
Have you heard from our doctors?
I've read everything that's been put in front of me
it became known as "The Dust-Up in the Diner"
I mean it was all over CNN
it was national news
it was like, Libya, Vivian Wilson's father
CNN. It was crazy
Please don't let my daughter die governor
Hi, how are you?
it's the battle these families understand better than anyone
there's no hope left in Miami. There was nothing else to do
each of these families wanted medical marijuana
for their sick children
they also fought to get it in their home states
but lost
so they moved to Colorado
where it's legal
desperate and determined
they've become known as medical marijuana
refugees
I came from Arizona
we left a lot back in Alabama
unfortunately we had to break the news to his folks that
we're not going to be coming back to Texas
more than 100 families moving to get the marijuana they had seen in our last documentary
it's called, "Charlotte's Web"
named for the little girl we profiled
it's a plant that doesn't get you high
but is loaded with the chemical called, "Cannabidiol"
or "CBD"
which seems to help reduce seizures
even when nothing else has worked
it changed Charlotte's life
because the dryer it is, it will extract more
thousands of parents called to ask the growers
Josh Stanley and his brothers
if it could possibly work for their children
you tell them, "Potentially, it could."
"Nothing's for sure."
and I say, "Well, unfortunately you have to move to Colorado."
and the reason they have to move to Colorado is what?
because anything that's grown in Colorado
has to stay in Colorado
it's the most absurd idea that we'd have to do this to get medicine
but it's the law
marijuana is illegal federally
so even if you're prescribed it legally in a medical marijuana state
even if it works
even if it is your last hope
you're out of luck!
you can't carry it across state lines
so for the Wilsons completely uprooting their lives and moving
seemed to be the only option to help Vivian
it's the hardest thing in the world to have to do. We have all of our family here
we have our job
there's so much that we'd have to do
but just weeks after the dust-up in the diner
just around the time the Wilsons allowed us to start filming their story exclusively
we received word that governor Christie has eased his stance
eventually the State of New Jersey did allow the edible form of marijuana after all
but the Wilsons still had another roadblock
they couldn't get their doctors
to prescribe it
there's a certain level within the epilepsy community
of fear that you could do more harm than good
until you go through the standard process
you should be conservative
and by "standard process"
he means, "scientific research"
and as you're about to learn
that is nearly impossible to conduct here in the United States
it's time to reform the system
I love you so much
have fun on the airplane
leaving people like the Wilsons
in a painful and potentially deadly limbo
the exclusive journey to save their daughter
when we come back
it's high noon at the Indispensary in Colorado Springs
business is booming at one of the state's largest medical marijuana dispensaries
customers run the gamut of ages
and ailments
busy day - it's always a busy day
yes sir
each strain - a different high
each bud - a different benefit
each leaf - treating a different ailment
everything from "Mental Floss" to "AK-47"
"Green Crack"
creative names. Did you name any of these?
No
the names are quirky
but the owner says that this is serious medicine
how hard is this to do?
good luck
good luck - it's tough
it requires persistence, patience,
and luck
this is Josh Stanley
and his five brothers
they're a handsom, well-educated, tight-knit group
all working together
to make millions in Colorado's Cannabis Madness
so how have things changed here?
you're looking at a new crop
this is a never-ending cycle
the Stanleys sell many different kinds of medical marijuana
high THC strains tend to be the money-makers
but they are now famous for growing a less-profitable plant
called "Charlotte's Web"
it's low in THC
but high in CBD
Cannabidiol
remember that name
it's the key therapeutic chemical doctors are using to treat everything
from chronic pain
to Lupus
to Crohn's disease
and epilepsy
so 80% of this farm is now a high CBD, low THC
I mean this is the exact opposite
of what people think of when they think of marijuana
this won't get you high
you can set the whole hippie population of Colorado
loose on this plant
and you're just going to be looking at a bunch of disappointed hippies
the Stanleys are not concerned about disappointing hippies
they've seen this plant change lives
they have a brand new lab
manned with scientists who are turning their plants into medicines
brother Joel Stanley is in charge of that part of the business
it wasn't a world that I knew
so we kind of had to dive into this and learn about how to make plant extracts
Joel was reluctant at first to get involved
he'd avoided marijuana most of his life
but the Spring of 2009
he was working in Texas on the oil fields
when his oldest brother, Josh, asked him
to join the new family business
and I laughed because I thought that it was just a foot in the door to legalization
and I didn't think it was medicinal
the first three patients that I met were cancer patients
who looked me in the eye
and told me that if they didn't have
the anti-nausia effects
and the appetite stimulant
and the help sleeping
that they wouldn't have survived chemotherapy
and I believe them
that was sort of your "time of conversion"
that was my turning point
and now on this mountain side
they expect to grow more than a thousand pounds of medical marijuana
in 2014
some is sold to smoke
some is sold as an oil or a tincture to injest
so what we're talking about is literally taking this
and turning it into this
that's right
the scientists here, some of whom have worked at major pharmaceutical companies
are focused on both making the medications
and maintaining strict quality control
we can test for pesticides
we can test for molds, mildews
we can test for residual solvents
testing for contamination
it's one of the biggest hurdles to creating a safe product
in fact, recent studies on the contamination of medical marijuana
are pretty alarming
One paper in the journal of toxicology showed pesticide residue as high at 69%
in a batch of medical marijuana
it's one of the things that concerns mainstream doctors about medical marijuana
SAFETY
as well as UNIFORMITY
and RELIABILITY
the major issue that physicians have
is in the consistency of the product
how well do you know what the person is getting
and the answer is, "We don't."
neurologist Dr. Edward Maa
is the Chief of Denver's Health Epilepsy Program
he is one of several mainstream doctors
now researching the Stanley's marijuana
after hearing about its dramatic results
you know my ears perked up
and well, "maybe this is something that we should be investigating."
for years Dr. Maa steered clear of cannabis
because the governent classified it as illegal
yet, ironically, when he recently surveyed his own patients
33% of them were already using medical marijuana
I was just shocked
at how many people were actually using it
what did you expect before you got those numbers back?
I was guessing maybe, five, ten percent
and that is part of the problem
medical marijuana patients have self-medicated for years
anxious to get relief, but with very little guidance on how to do so
that's something that concerns the Wilsons
I don't know if these people in New Jersey know how to grow these types of strains
none of the dispensary owners are growers. These are just people who had political connections
who got a dispensary
and by early October 2013
there was only one dispensary open in the entire state
they don't sell a high CBD strain
the Wilsons believe it could be at least a year before they will
that's a year Vivian might not have
every seizure does damage to her brain,
to her body - everything
how much longer do we wait
they've got to do something
not ready to move
they want to still try it
so they are going to leave their familiar neighborhood behind to see first-hand
if the marijuana they've heard so much about
could help Vivian
do you think this is going to work?
for me it has to work, because if it doesn't, then
I don't know where that leaves us
just days later
Vivian Wilson gets ready for the trip of a lifetime
a trip filled with danger, since all the stimulation of a plane ride
could induce seizures
high up in the sky
Vivian's future
and life
is on the line
I love you so much. Have fun on the airplane.
it was a trip that began with a tearful, anxious departure
and fear for Vivian's fragile health
she suffers from life-threatening seizures
so much worry
yet thankfully this part of their journey was surprisingly smooth
with her grandmother and father by her side
Vivian was seizure-free
hey
the long plane ride from New Jersey to Colorado
ends with a warm welcome
Hi, Precious
Vivian is finally going to try medical marijuana
Cannabis
and the Stanley brothers have been working hard to get it ready
go ahead
but just an hour after her arrival
Brian!
Brian!
she's going with her face
OK, well she's seizing, bring her over.
Vivian starts having seizures
one after the other
Brian rushes to get her anti-seizure medication
it's *** Vivian
and on Brian
and some of his doubts start to rush back in
it's always stressful wherever we go
I have all faith that this was going to work
but with anything you try, there's always that nagging suspicion that
we're going to be the ones that it doesn't work for
despite the rough night
the next morning begins with hope
that relief is in sight
this is Vivians. Thank you.
to meet the strict state standards
Brian establishes residency in Colorado
by renting a small apartment
Vivian meets with two doctors
for a thorough physical
how many seizures per day has she
both doctors approve her need for cannabis
and write recommendations for medical marijuana
to treat her epilepsy
we're good? yeah.
by sunset
they're ready
little Vivian has no idea what's about to happen
OK
Vivi, ready for your future?
that's it
right there
a tiny amount of oil
squirted into her mouth
good job, sweetheart
now they just watch and wait
over the next 24 hours
Vivian's seizures slowly decrease
look what I got. How's she doing?
she's doing really good
to celebrate - a family picnic
outside filled with activity
balloons with patterns
decorations
and lots of sunlight
any of these things could have previously induced a seizure
it's an emotional moment for a dad
watching his daughter finally have freedom
she used to be able to do this outside but not
this is what I'm starting out - yeah
Brian believes the marijuana is working
but as you're about to see
Vivian is by no means cured
after an hour in the direct sun
Vivian has a seizure
Brian rushes to inject the potent emergency rescue drugs
that will stop the seizures
and then places an oxygen mask in case those same drugs
stop Vivian from breathing
she was out in the sun
yeah
we pushed it
now with the epilepsy rescue drug still in her system
you can see for yourself just how powerful they are
she's absolutely doped-up right now, though
watch her trying to walk, watch her trying to do anything
this is difficult to watch
but it does raise this important point
the traditional drugs used to treat epilepsy
can be more dangerous than cannabis
Vivian's doctor
epilepsy expert, Orrin Divinsky
I think one of the reasons marijuana's probably safe is
related to the cannabidiol receptors
which if you have too much stimulation or inhibition of them
they don't shut off breathing or respiration
and that's key
the current potent epilepsy drugs impact many parts of the brain
including the brain stem
they can essentially shut off the body's vital functions
if you take too much
marijuana does not do that
and that's why it's virtually unheard of to have a marijuana overdose
it's one of the reasons so many doctors are starting to change their minds
on cannabis
but we are talking about children
young children
and that's going to understandably raise concerns
the latest research shows that some strains of marijuana
do have a profound effect on the brains of users
under the age of 25
THC is some good studies has been linked to psychiatric disorders
memory disorders
in children under age 16
so even though it's low THC content
it's still THC is more potent than CBD
so there may be long-term side effects
what do you worry about the most in the long run?
the fact that we don't understand the long-term effects of this medication
in brain development
these are tough choices
made even tougher
when you uproot your whole life
for marijuana
I've done a lot of fund-raising and
get a lot of friends help to get us here
so we left daddy's at home in Cleveland
they come from all walks of life
a stay at home mom from Ohio
an insurance salesman from Alabama
a nurse practitioner from Florida
it's exciting to think about the opportunity for her
I need to hold her head up
to be able to look at us and say, "Mom. Dad."
but now they're trapped
you can't take the medicine back to Florida, can you?
no
they would take my child away. I'm pretty sure. That's my fear.
they would take your child away for giving him his medicine?
yeah
this is the problem I'm talking about between the Federal and the State level
this conflict is really driving families apart
that's just crazy! It's crazy.
it's absolutely crazy
I try not to think of it at this point
I'm just trying to - you know
get some quick results in Vivian so we know
this is the path to continue on
and over the next couple of days
they see some startling results
Vivian goes from 75 seizures a day
to just 10
the Wilsons are now more convinced than ever
they have to keep Vivian
on marijuana
but how?
financially, they aren't ready to move here full time
and yet New Jersey doesn't have the resources to grow what they need
so as they head home
they don't know what the future holds
we're just going to have to hope for the best in the mean time
their hope could lie with a brand new pharmaceutical
Wow!
from these top secret fields overseas
an exclusive look inside
when we come back
we're driving deep into the English countryside now just a couple hours outside of London
we're on our way to visit GW Pharmaceuticals
they are a company that makes medicines from the actual marijuana plant
now, although this is done with the expressed permission of the UK government
we did have to sign confidentiality agreements
we cannot disclose exactly where we are going to be located
you see, marijuana is illegal in just about every part of this country
except for the secret labs that we're about to enter
wow!
this is pretty spectacular
do you get used to the smell?
I'm not particularly partial to the smell
pretty much
if you had Smell-O-Vision on your TV
you'd be overpowered by now
it's a lot of pot
this greenhouse is the size of a football field
and they have several more just like it throughout the United Kingdom
the lighting, temperature, humidity
all monitored by a top secret central computer
that keeps those conditions constant
and there are dozens of scientists
regularly tending the plants
this is probably the most TLC for a weed I've ever heard of
one would hope so. Absolutely!
Dr. Jeffrey Guy who runs GW Pharmaceuticals
says it has to be this way
because they're trying to do something no other pharmaceutical company in the world is attempting
turning the actual marijuana plant
into a prescription drug
when you look out at all of this
what comes to your mind?
I look at this and think that we can make generations of medicines over the next 25 or 30 years
medicines for illnesses like Alzheimer's, diabetes, PTSD and epilepsy
and auto-immune diseases like Multiple Sclerosis and Crohn's
the key to making these medications
is inside these simple-looking leaves
and understanding the hundreds of chemicals
some more therapeutic than others
those are the cannabinoids
in our pre-clinical research
we're able to say what each individual cannabinoid does
so that each one represents a potential new medicine for us
we can then breed into the plant
the materials that will provide us with a range of beneficial effects
designer cannabis plants are then reduced to a whole plant extract
and that's crucial according to the grand daddy of all marijuana research
Israels Dr. Raphael Mechoulam
when they've tried to make drugs
using certain compounds from marijuana
it's met with limited success
why is it than when you take certain compounds out of the marijuana and try to make a drug
it doesn't seem to work as well?
well,
one of the reasons possibly is because
THC works better when cannabidiol is there
so if you have both
it works better
Mechoulam calls it, "The Entourage Effect."
and that's what GW is doing
every extract will have all the plant's chemicals in it
the extract is then packaged as an approved prescription spray
in order to increase the chances of getting that approval
every step, from growing to harvesting to manufacturing
is all carefully controlled, regulated and rigorously tested to strict standards
so that every plant
every extract, every dose
is identical
safe and effective
it is an expensive and painstakingly slow process
it has taken hundreds of millions of dollars and a decade
to develop their first drug, "Sativex"
for the unrelenting pain and spams brought on by Multiple Sclerosis
is this a place that you walk?
as a neurosurgeon myself, I was curious just how well this medicine could work
Theresa Pointer was diagnosed with M.S. in February of 2004
for years she struggled with pain and exhaustion
she tried just about everything
but found the drugs prescribed to her were either ineffective
or had aweful side effects
then one day in 2005
she read in the newspaper about clinical trials for a marijuana-based medicine
have you ever tried cannabis? I mean, what were your thoughts on it?
No.
No.
I mean ever since I was a little girl
my mom had always said to me
"Don't do drugs! Don't do drugs!"
but nearly wheelchair-bound, Theresa was desperate
she tried it - a spray to the back of her throat several times a day
even once during our interview
her pain and muscle spasms are now well-controlled
so just the relief to be able to have a couple of sprays before I go to bed
and feel comfortable enough to just go to sleep
the risk of side effects are pretty low
neurologist Dr. Eli Silver
prescribes Sativex for some of his patients
some people do feel slightly dizzy and light-headed
if you want to call it - slightly ***
some people might feel slightly tired with it
but according to GW studies, only 6% of patients stop taking the drug
because of the side effects
more than 50% did get relief
and continued on the drug
all of that makes it a potentially powerful medicine
for the 2.3 million M.S. sufferers worldwide
it's now available in 25 countries
but not the United States
where it's still under investigation
why so much more stringent in the United States?
I think there is a greater level of rigor
at all levels of regulatory inquiry in the U.S.
like any drug in the United States, cannabis would have to go through rigorous testing
research and approval by the FDA
but after that, things start to get tricky
you see, marijuana also needs the approval of other governmental agencies
like the National Institutes of Health
and the Drug Enforcement Administration
this is, of course, difficult
if not impossible
why?
because in the United States, marijuana is illegal
and classified by the government as a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance
that means it is considered to be among the most addictive drugs
and is not recognized as having any medicinal benefit
and that's why what I'm about to tell you
is so ironic
the irony is that the Federal Government has patented
one of the important chemicals in the plant
the government of the United States
has a patent
on a substance
for medicinal purposes
at the same time they say that it has no medicinal purpose
exactly
Mayo Clinic researcher Dr. Michael Bostwick
is talking about United States Patent # 6,630,507
it's held by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
for the exclusive use of cannabinoids for certain treatments
I was stunned. And it really feels to me like a sort of "Dog in the Manger"
that the Federal Government is sitting on this wonderful thing
"wonderful thing"
and not letting anybody else do anything with it
and when we went to the government to ask about it
none of the agencies involved
would comment
we're being handcuffed by the government
preventing us from doing the right trials
in fact, a 2013 search
through the U.S. National Library of Medicine
revealed 2000 recent papers on marijuana
but the majority of them explored the harm
only 6% investigated the benefits
many believe that's the result of a Draconian system gone awry
resulting in marijuana
becoming one of the country's most controlled substances
and many people believe that
has to change
but it was one of the experts calling for that change
that surprised me the most
Dr. Nora Volkow
she's the Director of the National Institude on Drug Abuse
that's the very agency that many say has blocked a good deal of cannabis research
if the researchers feel that this is an impediment to them
doing actual science - scientific work
this is something that
should be addressed
on the front lines of that battle
the son of a political dynasty
coming up, how this anti-drug crusader is fighting to get cannabis drugs
to patients like Vivian
Adelle, can you put some shoes on?
it's early November 2013
at the Wilson home
Vivi
just a few days earlier Vivian's parents were surpised by a call from
one of the only two dispensaries currently open in the entire state of New Jersey
they say they have a strain of cannabis that is low in psychoactive THC
and high in therapeutic CBD
good morning
after a year of fighting governor Chris Christie
and then months searching for doctors to prescribe cannabis
she has seizures, correct?
the Wilson's are finally getting marijuana
in their home town
once they pick up the cannabis at the dispensary
they're confused
it's .13% THC and .13% CBD?
OK, why don't you go in and ask
this isn't like picking up a standard prescription at the pharmacy
there are no standard doses or federal guidelines
your CBD is 3. That's the one that you want
but they leave uncertain
not knowing exactly what they're getting
and here's another problem
what they get at the dispensary are leaves
Vivian can't use
and how many grams did we say we were going to do?
a half ounce
it's up to her parents to make medicine out of those leaves
for that, they're using this glorified Croc Pot
to activate the plant
and turn it into an oil
so once we have oil we still don't know exactly what the ratio is because it's not going to be exactly what this says
because it just went through this heating process
it's trial and error
something we heard from so many medical marijuana patients
I do a mixture of THC, CBN and CBD
Frank Bianco had to experiment
with many different strains of marijuana
to find the right kind to treat his chronic pain and arthritis from an old football injury
if I'm experiencing extreme pain in my knee
and I want to get medicated faster I'll do a dab of hash oil
my bodies exhaused. My knee is going to be sore
maybe a little swelling on the joint
maybe I'll sit down and smoke some flower
prescribed pain killers had made him sick
so he was desperate and willing to try something new
literally within 15 or 20 seconds
the pain just went away
it was gone absolutely
exited the body
turns out the most common use for medical marijuana
is pain
early studies suggest that cannabis binds to receptors in the brain and the body
to reduce inflamation
and provide a buffer against pain
yet according to Stanford-trained Dr. Margaret Getty
there is no one set standard cannabis treatment for pain
so patients are kind of
let loose in the sense that they have to try things
and find out which strain works and might be different at different times
Frank now works in the Stanley's lab
where he helps to make the medicines that he takes morning, noon and night
a variety of different strains
he says his pain is gone
and he functions well
it's a mix that works for him
is it risky to be doing the trial and error process?
there are some risks
if you don't know your baseline for your edibles that you can ingest
if you ingest to much, I mean, you could, like, pass-out
some of the stories I've heard have been people who followed "recipes"
I've had children admitted to psychiatric emergency rooms
psychotic
from the marijuana product
I'm good how are you?
that is why Divinsky feels that Job #1
is to make medical marijuana safe
reliable
and effective
one way to do that
is through research
which is why since the Summer of 2013
he's been trying to begin the first ever
United States research trial
on GW's new cannabis-based epilepsy drug
but the hurdles have been nearly insurmountable
if you're trying to look at the potential medicinal benefits
it's very hard to get funding
after many months Divinsky was able to secure funding
and approval from his hospital
New York University
but getting the government - specifically the FDA
the DEA
and the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement
to sign off was nearly impossible
one of their biggest issues
was security
so as part of this, you had to have a safe put in
this is new and only for this project
as 1200 pound safe watched by security cameras and alarm systems
all for a drug so low in THC
that it can't get you high
and even with that
Divinsky is still waiting for final Federal approval
the failure
of the Federal Government
through its regulatory arms
DEA, FDA and the like
has led
to a public health debacle
Patrick Kennedy - with his deep political connections and famous name
is pushing the Feds
to fast-track cannabis research
they ought to get at it quickly
the FDA? FDA
the Federal Government - they ought to just
get it done!
we just need a greater urgency to this issue overall
it's a bold statement for Kennedy
a recovering addict who's been outspoken that making medical marijuana legal in any way
is dangerous
that more children will be able to access it
and more smokers will become addicted to it
now he thinks that the only way to remove that risk
is to have all medicinal marijuana products Federally regulated
rigorously studied
and strictly controlled
I think making this truly a medicine
as opposed to forcing people to go on the street and try to buy something that they can't determine whether it is what it says it is
but he understands why extremely sick patients want marijuana now
remember his father, Ted Kennedy, died of brain cancer
and his brother lost his leg to cancer
I wouldn't have begrudged any member of my family with cancer - and they've all had cancer
anything that would have mitigated the chemotherapy
it's why Kennedy is meeting with everyone from the FDA to the Whitehouse
to speed things up
but it takes time
time the Wilsons don't have
they're finally going to try their new home-made cannabis oil
we weren't able to get it tested or anything
so we really still have no idea what it really is
which is why we have to be really cautious
behind closed doors, Brian tries it
to make sure he doesn't get high
he doesn't
open up
so Vivian is next
it doesn't work
nothing in New Jersey seems to work for them
Vivian's seizures won't stop
is moving the only option left for the Wilsons?
the Wilson's optimism is fading as fast as the falling February rain
they've rented their house
packed up their lives
finally headed to Colorado
we figured there'd be a way to make it work
it's crazy. It's just crazy that the program is such a failure
Vivian's having a seizure
that's Vivian's nurse screaming for help
Vivian is having a bad seizure
it's ok, honey
I know. Did it hurt?
she's got now these welts
she's having afternoon seizures
something's not right
that would be one of Vivian's last seizures in this home
soon after, a house once filled with life
is empty
alright
the Wilsons are leaving everything behind
bye eyeless snowman
when you look at some of these situations - families uprooting their lives, moving to Colorado
what goes through your mind - someone as a doctor but just as a citizen?
I think it's a strange point we have
I think that these people can't get access for the most severe cases
to something that might be
very helpful for their child - might even be potentially life-saving for their child
something Divinsky's hoping to change
he's finally gotten the government green light
to start research trials on GW Pharmaceuticals'
cannabis-based epilepsy drug
it's too late for Vivian
but not for the hundreds of children in the trials
it is exciting to be at this point in medicine
where, you know, we're gonna hopefully, in the near future, get some answers about
a drug that's been part of our species' history
for thousands of years
but those answers won't come immediately
in the mean time, the Stanleys
aren't slowing down
wow, it looks really good
they've finally succeeded in getting Charlotte's Web
out of Colorado
and in to the hands of patients in California
Jayden, I've got your medicine
yeah!
how about splitting families up?
now the brothers have their sights set nationally
in states like Oklahoma
don't make them pick up and have to move to a state like Colorado
in fact, 15 more states are now considering legalizing medical marijuana
there are the people in this room who need the immediate gratification
of that drug
the ever-growing support of mainstream medicine
doesn't hurt
in a recent poll
of nearly 2000 doctors
76% said they are in favor of using medical marijuana
for a needy patient
now 6 medical marijuana states have expanded their laws
to allow card-carrying medical marijuana patients to bring cannabis medicine into their home state
yet unfortunately for the Wilsons
New Jersey is not one of them
it will not happen on my watch - ever!
I am done expanding the medical marijuana program!
literally the same hour he said that
our friend's daughter was taken off a ventilator
after a 26 hour seizure
15 months old
I heard about that
and you're like
yeah, that could be Vivian you know
Tuesday, February 25th
Denver, Colorado
Brian is setting up house
unpacking boxes
picking up a 2-month supply of Vivian's new cannabis medicine
That will be $667.37 for the total
everything's in place when Vivian, Megan and Adelle arrive a few days later
say "Hi."
after settling in
Vivian's ready for her first dose
so this is it, huh?
it's been a long road
to have that in your hand like that. It really has
she's a little tired
but ready
here, take some medicine
the first of many doses
the beginning of a new life
you OK?
I'm so happy
with this neighborhood. I needed something to make this really positive
I needed to be somewhere that I was just absolutely going to love
and create new memories
yet there is always the constant reminder
of everything they left behind
we're stuck here
Vivian can't leave this state as things stand now?
Right. She can't cross any borders
And they're just not gonna, you know, the grandparents are not going to get to see their grandchildren much
it's really sad
in the midst of the sadness
a realization that the sacrifice might have meaning
was this a battle that was won?
clearly, we're here now
Vivian does not have what she needs in New Jersey
so in that respect we didn't win, but
there's a conversation going on and people are talking about medical marijuana a lot more
how great!
and for the Wilsons
other patients and dedicated scientists
all who believe this plant
might be able to change lives
it's our new house!
that is a victory
Several days later, the Wilsons went for their first family outing.
A walk around their new neighborhood. Someting they rarely did with Vivian before.
They hope it's the first of many.