12-year-old Alexis Bortell has epilepsy. She is joined by her father and former NFL player Marvin Washington in filing a lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
The Bortell family moved from Texas to Colorado to have access to medical marijuana for Alexis’ epilepsy, according to ABC News.
Traditional treatments and medical procedures did not provide any relief for Alexis’ form of epilepsy. When the Bortells tried medical marijuana, Alexis had immediate relief for the first time in her life. Before marijuana, she was having multiple seizures daily.
“This lawsuit stands to benefit tens of millions of Americans who require, but are unable to safely obtain, cannabis for the treatment of their illnesses, diseases and medical conditions,” states part of the lawsuit. “Since being on whole-plant medical cannabis, Alexis has gone more than two years seizure-free.”
The restrictive medical marijuana law in Texas doesn’t allow Alexis access to potent enough marijuana that she needs.