A Sick Eight-Year-Old Leads Mexico to Question Their Cannabis Policy

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap radius”]C[/dropcap]annabis is certainly a touchy subject in Mexico – because of years of aggressive cartel control and drug wars, working towards accepting something like medicinal cannabis hasn’t been one of the country’s priorities. However, the extreme illness of an eight-year-old might just be the thing that causes change.

According to the Washington Post, Grace Elizalde, a young girl from Monterrey, suffers from severe epileptic seizures almost every hour, and minor tremors hundreds of times a day.

No pharmaceutical drugs have helped Elizalde’s condition so far, but her parents have heard the successes of Americans who have had their children’s seizure disorders improve after introducing medical cannabis. Mexico is socially conservative for the most part, and except for Mexico City, most residents oppose even medical cannabis. The drug war has also claimed thousands of lives in the city, making the subject a bit touchier.

However, in a major step forward for the country, last month, the Mexican federal government ruled that if the Elizalde family is able to obtain the product in the U.S., they can legally import it to Mexico and give it to Grace to try and help her condition.

While this may not be a perfect solution, it is one the Elizalde’s are certainly willing to take. “We’re up against time,” her father, Raul Elizalde, told the Washington Post. “The seizures keep getting stronger.”

If the family does obtain cannabis and bring it to Grace, she will be the first person in Mexico to legally medicate with cannabis. With any luck, Grace will see some results and possibly help lift the stigma of cannabis in the country