People across the world are starting to realize the power and medicinal values of cannabis. International marijuana refugees are making the long trip to states like Colorado where medicinal marijuana is legal and available. People are taking the immigration risk in order to save their families and children.

An estimated several hundred international marijuana refugees have traveled hundreds of miles to seek out medicinal marijuana after the groundbreaking story of Haleigh Cox.

Haleigh Cox at the time was a five-year-old girl who suffered from over 200 seizures per day and was given about a month to live by doctors. However, after moving to Colorado and using cannabis oil, her seizures went down to 10 per day and her life expectancy grew exponentially.

Cannabis’s life-saving effects on Haleigh have inspired people from around the world to uproot their lives to try to find a cure for their children.

Irish mom, Yvonne Calahane is living in Colorado on a one-year visa with her two sons to seek a cannabis treatment for her youngest boy. Calahane’s 2-year-old son is living with constant seizures due to his rare form of epilepsy and is looking for some comfort in cannabis treatment.

Yvonne Calahane states,

“We’re not going to choose the option of being criminals with this in Ireland. We don’t want to do things illegally, and we don’t want to do it without a doctor.”

This quote shows the desperation of the marijuana refugee and their want to help their family simply.

Marijuana refugees are also inspiring legislature to realize the medicinal importance of the plant.

A group of researchers and doctors in Colorado have been given the permission to perform a government study to understand how medical marijuana could help with PTSD. This is the first type of study that is officially funded by the government.

The impact of the growing number of marijuana refugees shows the desperate need for legalization of marijuana in this country. Families left with no choice, and a death sentence are willing to leave homes and countries in the hopes that the “miracle drug” can save their family.

However, there is still a long way to go. The active head of the DEA, Chuck Rosenberg, was quoted in 2015 stating,

“What really bothers me is the notion that marijuana is also medicinal-because it’s not. We can have an intellectually honest debate about whether we should legalize something that is bad and dangerous, but don’t call it medicine. That is a joke.”

But with 24 states with legal medicinal cannabis, the plight of the marijuana refugees could launch a legitimate medical need for legalization. Families and their children deserve a cure.