'Nothing else was working': Georgia couple gave son marijuana to treat seizures. Then they lost custody

Zach Merchant | WMAZ-TV, Macon, Ga.

Show Caption Hide Caption Pot's surprising history From ancient China to 420, pot has come a long way.

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ga. — A Georgia couple who say they allowed their teenage son to smoke marijuana to treat his seizures lost custody and are facing criminal charges.

Their 15-year-old son suffered several seizures a day, and they tried a variety of solutions, including prescription drugs and cannabis oil, but nothing seemed to work, the couple said. Then they allowed the boy to smoke marijuana, and the seizures stopped completely.

"Nothing else was working," said the boy's mother, Suzeanna Brill, who lives near Macon in Twiggs County. "I can't have my kid dying because nobody wants to listen."

But what the couple did broke the law, according to the Twiggs County Sheriff's Office. Someone tipped off the state, the couple was charged with reckless conduct and the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services took custody of the teen.

► May 7: New Mexico pet business uses cannabidiol to help treat sick animals

► April 27: Medical marijuana used pot's emotional connection to spread nationally

► April 20: Marijuana-based epilepsy drug could soon get federal approval, a first

The case thrust Brill and her husband, Matthew, into the limelight and into the middle of the debate over the legalization of marijuana.

Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia allow medical marijuana. Nine states plus the District allow recreational use.

On the other hand, Georgia allows neither.

► Jan. 12: Illinois says it won't stop sick girl from using medical pot at school

► Nov. 17: Why some think medical marijuana can end the opioid epidemic

The state has strict laws against the drug. Doctors are not allowed to prescribe pot, and it's illegal to possess or sell though if a person has a state-issued card, they can possess low-THC oil.

After the 15-year-old started smoking marijuana, the couple said their son, David, didn't have a seizure for 71 days. He now is being housed in a group home.

On April 20, the day he was removed from their home, the boy had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital, they said.

► Nov. 16: Colorado doctors claim baby boy is first marijuana overdose death

► Aug. 5: Family hopes marijuana compound will stop child's seizures

The Brills are working to get back custody of their son. Even though they're facing charges, they said they would do make the same decision to help treat his condition.

"Even with the ramifications with the law, I don't care," the boy's stepfather, Matthew Brill, told The New York Times. "For 71 days he was able to ride a bike, go play, lift weights. We were able to achieve that with David medicated not from Big Pharma, but David medicated with marijuana."

Contributing: Christal Hayes, USA TODAY. Follow Zach Merchant on Twitter: @zachmerch

.