Judge authorizes cannabis for girl with epilepsy

A judge authorized for the first time in the history of Mexico the import of a cannabis-based substance to be used in the treatment of an eight-year-old girl who suffers from severe episodes of epilepsy, according to the lawyer of her family, Fabian Aguinaco.

"It is a watershed moment in our country because the subject of cannabis has been very complicated. The important thing about this is the difference that has been marked as opposed to a policy of prohibition regarding all the behaviors related to cannabis," said the lawyer.

Judge Martín Santos determined on August 17 that the authorities should allow the parents of Graciela Elizalde Benavides the importation of Cannabidiol, a substance prohibited by the General Law of Health of Mexico.

At a trial, the defense lawyers appealed that there are articles of this law which are unconstitutional because they "violate several human rights of great importance," such as the right to decide, the dignity of the person, and the freedom of the individual to live without pain, expressed Aguinaco.

Graciela suffers from the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a disease that he has been getting worse over time and causes her to have around 400 episodes of seizures every day, even while sleeping.

After treatments and even a surgery known as callosotomy, a cut in the fibers which separate the brain hemispheres, they opted for the Cannabidiol in light of the lack of results.

Cannabidiol, a substance that relaxes the muscles, has been successful in different cases in the United States and Europe.