Georgia family torn apart over marijuana

With so much troubling news in the media everyday, it’s hard to read something that truly shocks you. However, the arrest of the Brill family in Twiggs, Georgia, has done just that and angered people all across the country.

The story begins back in 2003, when Suzeanna and Mathew gave birth to their son David. Born with a serious seizure disorder, the Brills have struggled to find any medication or treatment that can keep David’s seizures under control.

Fortunately, David was able to qualify for a service animal, which was trained to sense impending seizures and warn the family. Over the years, the Brills have become dependent on the dog, especially because David frequently had seizures overnight while they were sleeping.

One of the biggest impediments to his recovery is due to the fact that Georgia has some of the harshest marijuana laws in the country.

Physicians are not allowed to prescribe marijuana in flower form for medical use. It is illegal to sell or posses cannabis in the State of Georgia. If you have a medical card, you can only posses low thc/high cbd oil. Currently, there is a six year waiting list to join Georgia’s medical marijuana program.

In February, both Suzeanna and Mathew decided enough was enough. Having read about seizure disorders being successfully treated with marijuana, the Brills decided to let David try smoking the plant. Even though they knew what they were doing was illegal, it seemed like the only choice left.

The result of this experiment was 71 seizure free days for David. Something he had never experienced in his whole life.

During those 71 days, David was able to exercise, ride his bike and enjoy his life as a normal 15 year old boy. Even his treatment team, aware of the marijuana use, could not believe the amazing results.

Unfortunately, not everyone shared the Brill’s enthusiasm. Shortly after meeting with a new therapist, the police came knocking at the family’s Twiggs, Georgia home and demanded they cease allowing David to smoke marijuana. Feeling they had no choice but to comply, the treatment was stopped immediately and David had his first seizure fourteen hours later.

On April 20th, Mathew and Suzeanna Brill were arrested and charged with reckless conduct over their decision to give marijuana to their son and spent six days in jail. At the end of the six days, David was released from the hospital and placed in a group home. His service dog was also taken from him and he can only have short visits or phone calls with his family. Faced with criminal charges and their only child in a group home, the Brills have turned to Gofundme to raise money for a lawyer and so they can move David to a state that allows the treatment he desperately needs.