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Cannabis was a last resort for McKnight’s family. Liam, now 8, suffers from Dravet syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy. He had up to 80 grand mal seizures a day, despite being on multiple conventional medications and a special diet. Although cannabis oil hasn’t cured Liam, it has enabled him to experience up to 10 seizure-free days at a time.

“Liam is not in the hospital any more for two weeks at a time, taking up a hospital bed,” said McKnight. Before switching from pharmaceutical drugs to cannabis oil, McKnight said the family was calling an ambulance for Liam as often as twice a week. McKnight said the improvement they’ve seen in Liam since starting with cannabis oil has been “a miracle.”

“What’s happening on the ground and with parents drives the science,” said panel host Hilary Black. Parents, on their own, “without a lot of guidance, without a lot of support learning how to apply cannabinoid therapy to really complicated cases.”

Alexander Repetski, of Toronto, another parent and “accidental advocate” said his four-year-old daughter Gwen was diagnosed with a severe, intractable form of epilepsy at just three months old. Gwen’s parents tried at least 10 drugs including steroids before deciding to try medical marijuana oil. Repetski said he hopes the federal government’s push for legalizing recreational cannabis will help raise awareness and push research on medical marijuana and open up funding options.