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#Medical marijuana is legal 23 states, but for kids it s controversial.

Some parents of severely ill children say that prescription drugs expose their kids to dangerous side effects. Some want to try medical marijuana, and they seek wider access to the drug in Michigan.

Story Highlights

Is marijuana safe and effective medicine for children? Experts say it is for some conditions. About two dozen states, including Michigan, allow the use of medical cannabis for seizure disorders. A state panel is to meet Mon. July 20, to decide if Michigan allows medical marijuana for autism. Some parents claim almost miraculous results for their autistic children, but research is scarce.

In Grand Blanc Township. near Flint, a family gives daily doses of olive oil infused with medical marijuana to their 6-year-old daughter afflicted with a life-threatening seizure disorder.

After years of seeing her suffer, the girl's constant seizures all but disappeared after she began swallowing the oil in January, her parents said. They turned away from their child's regular doctors and found two physicians willing to sign their state application.

Michigan allows medical marijuana for seizure disorders. Yet, these parents still skirt state law and a court ruling that say Michigan patients must smoke their medical marijuana.

Some parents of children with autism also have been fighting to change state law to allow the disorder to be treated with medical marijuana. Some say they're looking for treatments to take the place of prescription drugs that can have strong side effects.

Across the state, a small but growing cohort of parents of children with severe, debilitating conditions feel hamstrung by Michigan's laws, regulations and court rulings that govern the pediatric use of medical marijuana.

"A lot of these kids are fighting for their lives," said Robin Schneider, legislative liaison for the National Patients Rights Association, a statewide nonprofit group with an office in Grosse Pointe.