Hank Kovach’s experience mirrors the recent success stories of other children with drug-resistant epilepsy.

Wracked by frequent, daily seizures that delayed his brain development, the 7-year-old Chicago boy was unable to speak, learn much or even sleep without waking up in tears after an hour or two. Conventional drugs didn’t help much.

But after he began using a marijuana extract last year, his parents said, they were astounded when Hank went six months without a seizure. He began uttering sounds, learning numbers and colors, and, for the first time, sleeping through the night.

“This has been life-changing for our family,” said his mother, Megan Turner. “We can actually see Hank be a happy little boy again.”

Hank’s story differs, though, from similar tales of patients treated through state medical pot programs; Hank was part of a clinical trial authorized by the federal government and conducted by a respected medical institution, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Lurie is taking part in what is believed to be the first clinical trial in the U.S. of cannabidiol, an oil extracted from pot that contains none of the THC that gets users high. Though further study is needed, preliminary results showed it cut seizures in half for patients.

With Illinois on the verge of making medical marijuana available to those who suffer from any of about 40 medical conditions, including epilepsy, doctors, patients and legislators are closely watching the results of Lurie’s trial.

For years, advocates and critics of medical pot have agreed that much more study needs to be done on its effects. Federal law, which classifies marijuana as being as dangerous as heroin, has made it difficult to conduct research. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering fast-track approval for the cannabidiol Epidiolex, and Lurie is part of a nationwide trial of its effectiveness.

Even as about half …read more

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