KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The fate of dozens now rests on a signature. A Missouri bill that would let people with epilepsy use a cannabis extract for treatment has passed both the Mo. House and Senate. All the bill needs now is for Governor Jay Nixon to sign on the dotted line.
FOX 4’s Megan Brilley spoke with a family who says this bill could be their miracle.
From the outside looking in, Colby Patterson appears to be a regular 16-year-old. But beyond his exterior, Colby is much different from his friends.
“We just gotta find a way to get this to stop,” Colby’s mom, Bridgit Patterson said.
Scans show exactly what his brain goes through. Ever since he was eight years old, Colby has had several seizures a day.
“I just like collapse and get real stiff,” Colby said.
Doctors thought with age the seizures might stop, but his epilepsy has only gotten worse.
“I got mad. I’ll be honest, I got mad. I was mad at God. Because I really thought he would grow out of those seizures and it didn’t happen,” Bridgit said.
Instead, Colby was put in special education classes. He can’t drive, he can’t play a lot of sports or go out with friends. All because of the risk of a seizure.
“It’s just frustrating,” Colby said.
“He just texted me and said, ‘mom can I play football next year?’ It’s heartbreaking to have to say, ‘you know, Colby, that’s probably not a good idea right now,'” Bridgit said.
But the bill headed for the Governor Nixon’s desk could put Colby out on the field.
Missouri lawmakers have passed the bill that would authorize cannabidiol, or CBD, oil treatment, which in clinical trials now shows promise in reducing epileptic seizures
“It was a victory. A huge victory,” Bridgit said.
Colby is on his seventh medication. Nothing currently available is working. They don’t know if CBD will either, but they also know there’s a good chance it could.
“I wanna be a firefighter. Or go into the highway patrol. Hopefully I can get a job like that when I get older,” Colby said.
“We’re looking for a miracle,” said Bridgit.
The sponsor of this bill tells us he believes Governor Jay Nixon is in support of this bill and will sign it. If the governor does approve it, it will go into effect immediately.
