Grace: 8 Year Old Now an Icon for Legalisation in Mexico

At the age of 8 Grace has become the first person with legal access to medical marijuana in Mexico. The product has become her primary medicine, the only one capable of reducing the countless epileptic seizures she suffered every hour until not long ago. Now she only has them from to time, and they are less intense than they were. Finally, she and her parents can rest easy.

The girl suffered up to 400 attacks a day due to the Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (a form of childhood epilepsy) from which she suffers. She began her treatment, based on medical oil containing cannabidiol (CBD), on 20 October after winning the battle against Mexican prohibitionist laws in August. According to her father, Raúl Elizalde Garzade, she has responded very well and her attacks, especially at night, have almost disappeared.

The medication process is simple, with her mother, Mayela Benavides, in charge of giving Grace a mint and chocolate flavoured syrup, using a dropper. Her family is aware that it's not a cure, but it is a great relief, for which they are willing to pay 250 dollars (231 euros) for a 100-ml bottle.

Her parents believe that, ideally the country's laws would be changed so that more children and families could enjoy the same privilege she does. Things are going well: her case has set an example in the country, projecting a ray of hope for other families in similar situations. The hashtags #porGrace and #porTodos are featured on Twitter in an effort to demand the same benefits for other children.

For now PRI Senator Cristina Díaz has proposed allowing the importation and use of medical marijuana. The country is changing, and those most in need will soon benefit.