How Medical Marijuana Is Used to Treat Epilepsy and Other Seizure Disorders

A few years back, CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who initially was skeptical about the medical benefits of marijuana, ran a CNN special about cannabidiol (CBD) and treatment of intractable epilepsy. The program featured a story about a young epilepsy patient who reported a drastic reduction in both the severity and duration of seizures with the administration of cannabis oil. The report had a galvanizing effect on the medical community, triggering a tsunami of interest in medical cannabis — both marijuana and non-intoxicating hemp.

While this story is legendary, there is another not-so-famous story that helped to kick off Canada’s medical marijuana program over two decades ago.

At the age of four, Torontonian Terry Parker was hit in the head by a playground swing. Sadly, after the impact, Terry began to suffer from severe and intractable seizures. Doctors tried to treat the boy’s condition with heavy doses of prescription drugs but failed to halt his debilitating seizures. 

At the age of 14, in an attempt to alleviate his condition, doctors performed a right temporal lobectomy. Tragically the surgery only intensified his seizures, compelling doctors to conduct a second surgery three years later.  Terry’s symptoms persisted after the procedure and he was subsequently hospitalized more than 100 times due to injuries sustained during seizures.

At the age of 17, shortly after his second unsuccessful surgery, Terry began smoking marijuana. He noticed immediately that his seizures seemed to abate after ingestion of the herb. He shared the information with his doctor who concurred that the marijuana was indeed reducing the frequency and severity of his seizures.

The doctor advised Terry to keep a log of his daily marijuana use, and eventually gave him a letter indicating the necessity of cannabis for seizure control.

In 1987, Terry was arrested for possession of an illegal substance, but was acquitted due to what was deemed a “medical necessity.” Terry faced further criminal charges in July of 1996 for possession and cultivation when 71 plants were confiscated. He was also charged with trafficking because he had been supplying other epileptics with marijuana.

In 1997, a judge agreed that Parker’s charter rights to “life, liberty, and security” were violated and ordered the police to return Terry’s marijuana plants. Then three years after Terry’s arrest, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that denying Terry access to medicinal marijuana was unconstitutional. 

After the ruling, a new Medical Marijuana Access program was created, setting the stage for Canada’s future medical marijuana program. In the wake of this case, hundreds of epilepsy patients were granted exemptions. In 2003, based on the Parker decision, many courts began throwing out possession charges for medical marijuana patients.

Terry Parker’s incredible story resonated throughout the world and triggered numerous clinical studies specifically to determine the efficacy of marijuana for the treatment of seizure disorders. The sheer number of high-profile cases such as this one can no be ignored any longer.