Volusia Schools Won’t Allow Child With Epilepsy To Use CBD Oil

By By Danielle Prieur / WMFE

Published September 12, 2018 at 7:16 AM EDT

CBD oil could treat some conditions like seizures, anxiety, and insomnia with few of the side effects of more traditional treatments.

Gummy bears with CBD oil can stop six-year-old Zoe Adams from having debilitating seizures which means she can go back to school. But Volusia County Schools considers the oil to be a class one controlled substance which means Adams can’t take it on school property.

That’s something Florida House Representative Carlos Guillermos Smith says is against state law.

“Seventy-one percent of Florida voters said that they wanted to approve a constitutional right to medical cannabis for qualified patients," said Smith. "That includes children who now have a constitutional right to medical cannabis if they have a qualifying medical condition.”

Zoe’s family is asking the Volusia County School Board to change its policy on administering CBD oil on school grounds.

Harvard Medical School says CBD does not contain the high-inducing properties of medical marijuana, but does treat seizures, anxiety, and insomnia with few side effects.

As a dietary supplement, however, it is not regulated by the Federal Drug Administration for safety and purity.