it's not a done deal, see the individual. . i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie moralis. >> charlie has epilepsy. >> the oil is legal where charlie lives but not where these family lives. >> i look to see when my daughter's lips are blue and i look for the rise and fall of her chest at 14. now, these parents are

fighting to make this oil legal and we're with them every step of the way. >> anybody say well, that's crazy, because it is never going to happen. >> you say marijuana and they are like -- >> how much are they willing to gamble? >> if i have to choose between losing my job or losing my kid, what would any mother do? >> the promise. >> this is what you give up when you use cannabis. >> we don't know the potential sigh side effects. >> it is awesome, i don't feel like a monster anymore. >> one kid one day of no suffering is worth it. hello and welcome to "date line" should medical marijuana be legal? does it work. for doctors it is about the

science and for lawmaker it is is about politics and the families you are going to meet it is simpler. it is about their children. here is harry smith with "growing hope." >> three mothers and their children t. is 2015 and on this winter day in virginia, they have a big hill to climb. each child is desperately ill, each has a form of epilepsy. >> no one else i knew had a kid with seizures this bad. >> they have an army of specialists and doctors. >> a year of huge emotional stress on our family. >> these women believe that there is something that might help. something illegal in virginia. an oil extracted from marijuana. >> what is your hope for medical marijuana? >> to meet our daughter. to meet who she really is.

>> to make that happen, these families would attempt to do something they've been told was impossible. change a law that has stood for decades. we'll follow them on a remarkable journey through halls of government and to the rocky mountains where people with all sorts of illnesses are seeking help. these people, marijuana isn't about getting high. it's about getting well. >> give kisses. okay. that's enough. there we go. >> lisa and bobby smith were elated when their daughter haley arrived on august 20th 20000. she was the perfect little baby, or so they thought. >> her first seizure was when she was five months told. >> up until that point? >> normal and happy and developmentally right an track.

she was my first child so i could have had blinders. >> her seizures happened often. >> we didn't know what was wrong the first seven years. >> over the years. haley's mystery only deepened. and she was eventually diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy that can be fatal. treating it is a challenge. epilepsy drugs don't work and can do more harm than good. >> she was in the emergency room every week from january to april in 2005. that's not exaggerating. >> by 2012, haley was a teenager and the seizures was getting worst. >> she was having 300 seizures a

year was okay. >> 300? >> you know nobody can comprehend that? >> i know. >> all of those seizures took a toll on lisa raising and home schooling twin boys and bobby trying to make a living as a contractor and supporting his family. >> what else starts with an h? >> hat. >> lisa stumbled upon a most unconventional treatment. she found a mom in colorado who said march juan worked wonders. >> -- she was diagnosed as a toddler. >> she was an seven daily seizure drugs and failed every drug at two years old as well. >> charlotte was so sick, she was in hospice care.

her husband was a green -- deemployeed for much of the time. >> paige felt alone. >> i hit rock bottom with her. the hospital said there is nothing left. there is nothing left to do. we're sorry. go home and deal with it at home. >> when they tell you go home, are they saying go home and watch your child die? >> i brought her home and my husband had to sign a do not resuscitate. >> every night i was praying for her to die because it was so bad to watch her suffering. and she didn't t is hard for manyme to admit that. the only way for it to stop was for her to pass away?

her sleep. >> paige didn't give up. she kept looking. she and matt found online reports that the seizures disappeared when given marijuana. >> i got her a red card and two doctors for medical marijuana and started looking into it. her especially leptologist gave me the go ahead. >> oils made from a cannabis plant. a nonpsycho active element in marijuana seemed to be effective in reducing seizures. >> paige was in touch with a grower and together they -- >> she is on oxygen and a feeding tube and i put it in the feeding tube, in a measured amount and a low dose to see if

it would work. she didn't seizure for seven days. >> she was having 300 seizures a week and you think she is going to die and you introduce this for the very first time and it just stops. >> yep. her seizures stops and she didn't have a side effect. that was then. >> where are you going? >> up the trail? >> this is her after being on the oil. that squeal of joy was from the 8-year-old charlotte speeding through pine trees of colorado. reading this gave her new hope and cause for concern. the use of marijuana as a medicine made her family

uncomfortable. yet, the benefits seemed to outweigh the stigma. pot isn't legal in virginia. the big question is should we uproot the family and move. >> so what did you do? >> we chose to fight. >> mentally is a smith would have to get the virginia general assembly to change what they thought about marijuana and she knew she couldn't do it alone. >> at age 14, she has nothing left. if she was was your child, what would you do? >> can they change minds and the law? >> coming up. did anybody say well that's crazy because it's never going to happen? >> yes. all of the outsiders said no way. you say marijuana and they are

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> for 14 years, lisa and bobby smith have cared for their daughter, haley, who suffers from a confounding form of epilepsy. over time, they have connected with other families in virginia with similar stories. in 2014, some of these families finally met in person at a seminar to learn how to lobby their state government. together, they decided to do something audacious, convince the state legislature to make

legal room for a very specific medical marijuana. >> if it was just a matter of getting the oil for the children, health-wise, everybody is on board with that. >> we are from fairfax, virginia. >> reporter: this was the core group, beth and patrick collins and their daughter, jennifer, who suffers from jeavons syndrome, another extreme form of epilepsy. >> and jennifer has a statement, but she is a little nervous, so i'm going to read it for her. >> we came down to the capitol today to lobby for medical marijuana. >> reporter: rounding out the group, theresa elder, her daughter, ashley, and her son, tommy, now 22. he wasn't supposed to make it to his third birthday. the hope for all these families was that an oil extracted from a marijuana plant might help when all other medications had failed. so you, as a group, get together and say well, we have got to get the law changed in virginia. >> right. >> did anybody say, well, that's crazy, 'cause it's never gonna happen?

>> outsiders. >> oh, yeah, all the outsiders said, no way, it will never happen. >> and why? >> because it's the m-word. you can be in there talking to someone, legislator, delegate, senator and they say, oh, hi, you know, what's your name, blah black you're talking and you say "marijuana" and you can see the reaction change. >> reporter: changing the law in virginia is critical for theresa and her son, tommy, because -- >> as soon as tommy doesn't become a resident of virginia, he loses all the services that i fought 22 years to get. >> reporter: services tommy can't live without. >> like he has home nursing. now that's an adult, he qualifies for medicaid. when your bills are between $500,000 and $600,000 a year, that's loalot lot. >> reporter: so the virginia families' fight begins. on this day, they cram into a crowded hearing room, nervous, but determined to begin the long process of changing the minds and hearts of these lawmakers.

the families are not asking to legalize marijuana in the state, but they are asking for permission to use cannabis-based oils that have shown promise in treating epilepsy. republican speaker of the house, james howell, listened to thw m parents in a meeting but was far from optimistic. >> please don't hold out any great hopes. it is a tough thing. i don't want to set up any false aspirations. >> no. no. >> reporter: a new law would have to pass both chambers of the virginia legislature. this is the first step, a committee hearing. the proceedings begin with state senator dave marsden explaining the bill he is introducing. >> virginians shouldn't have to become medical refugees from their homes and live in other states. if you would, if could you introduce yourself. >> reporter: then, it's the families' turn. >> my name is beth collins and this is our youngest daughter, jennifer. she was going to testify, but she is not feeling well today. we had exhausted all other treatments. the side effects of her

medication included rages, cognitive functioning issues -- excuse me. this was not the happy-go-lucky child i once knew. >> reporter: before beth collins can finish testifying, it happens, right there in the hearing room, haley has a seizure. lisa struggles to stabilize her daughter and tries to regain her composure. she still wants to speak to the lawmakers. >> this is lisa smith. >> reporter: she collects her thoughts and she steps to the microphone. >> this is -- this is normal for me. this is daily for me. it's been stated we don't know the long-term effects of medical marijuana. but i can tell you, i know the long-term effect of uncontrolled seizures. it will be cognitive decline and premature death. i look to see if my daughter's lips are blue. i watch her when she sleeps. i look for the rise and fall of

her chest. at 14, that's not what we do. so, i ask you, i beseech you, please allow this to come out of committee. >> reporter: finally, it is theresa elder's turn to speak, she doesn't say much, but what she says comes straight from the heart. >> so, let me leave with you this, if i come back here next january, it's very probable i will come by yourself and you'll recognize me if i have an empty stroller, this very testimony will come flooding back to you. please, help us help our children. thank you very much. >> reporter: just seven days later, tommy would be rushed to the icu and put on life support. for theresa, and the other families, the stakes comment be higher. be higheo be higheu be highel be highed t be higher. coming up, help from a higher power? >> i started to realize there's absolutely nothing that's unchristian about helping people with a plant. >> meet the remarkable stanley

brothers, when "dateline" continues. fruits and veggies are essential to your health, but it's tough to get enough of their nutrients. new one a day with nature's medley is the only complete multivitamin with antioxidants from one total serving of fruits and veggies try new one a day with nature's medley.

good job. >> reporter: seven short days after theresa elder told the virginia lawmakers her son was running out of time, tommy elder was overcome by a powerful seizure. his sister, ashley, says it's never easy for her brother. >> sometimes, he will come up to you and just give you this look, like, hey, i'm about to have a

seizure and i will, like, grab on to you. and then sometimes, he will kind of yell out as he is going into it and you just hear this big, you know, grunt or yell while he is going into his convulsions. it's pretty scary. >> reporter: this seizure lasted almost an hour. it was so severe, tommy was rushed to the icu. he went into respiratory failure. his lung collapse and the seizures continued.d and the seizures continued. seizures continued. his mother captured one on camera. theresa sat by tommy's bedside day and night as doctors work to stabilize him. this was the 39th time in his life that tommy needed life support. theresa and the other virginia families were now more focused than ever, but as the legislation that they believed would help their children made its way through the virginia general assembly, lawmakers continued to ask whether there was proof the oils even worked. the old hippocratic oath said,

"first, do no harm." we seem to have abandoned that and replaced it with, "first, do something." >> reporter: to try to find the answer, we went to colorado. medicinal and recreational pot are legal here and because of that, the state has become something of a new force, with people flocking here for cannabis-based cures. >> the main character of this beautifully written novel are the stanleys. i would like them to step forward. >> reporter: in the middle of it all are the stanley brothers, all six of them. [ applause ] the brothers' story begins small in a personal way. they had begun to legally grow medical marijuana and gave some to a cousin dying from cancer. >> really prolonged his life and gave him a better quality of life. i mean, the doctors pretty much told them, go home. >> get ready to die? >> yeah. >> reporter: but it was another patient who transformed the brothers' mission, for it was joel stanley who brought page figgy the marijuana that was

just right for her epileptic daughter, charlotte. >> we had what she was looking for. a non-psychoactive type of plant. and i went to her house and i started talking to her and charlotte had two seizures right there within the first hour of us sitting down, talking. so, this became very real, but it became a very difficult question. will you make something for my child who is already very sick? >> reporter: charlotte figgy was the first person to get the oil the brothers made. >> what are you going to watch on here? >> reporter: page says it stopped her daughter's seizures. >> say i want minehaha please. >> i want minehaha. yeah. >> reporter: now, having hired botanists and scientists and built a lab, on a large scale, they are making the very oils they want to give the children. they named the first oil after their first user. it's called "charlotte's web."

the oil was so effective, the figgys eventually took charlotte off of all of her meds and to this day, charlotte's web is all she takes. >> we just do that in the morning and the night and that's all charlie needs. >> you have to indulge me on this. did anybody think it is a miracle? >> i still think it is. and then another one happens every day. >> so you're from this big family. evangelical christians, right? was there a part of whatever moral tuning fork is inside you to say this is a non-starter? >> a lot of evangelical families produce rebels? i mean, i was all about it. >> once i started to look into it i started to realize there's absolutely nothing that's unchristian about helping people with a plant. >> reporter: the brothers say the oil is now helping hundreds of other children with epilepsy.

the does, $250 a bottle. it lasts two months. >> i wanted to have some kids come up. we are gonna plant this flower. >> reporter: a number of the families who come to colorado seeking help wiped up at the realm of caring, a support group the stanleys helped establish. heather jackson runs realm of d realm of caring, a support group the stanleys helped establish. heather jackson runs realm od u realm of caring, a support group the stanleys helped establish. heather jackson runs realm ond realm of caring, a support group the stanleys helped establish. heather jackson runs realm of caring. zachai is her son. she says he has been seizure-free for the two years he has been on charlotte's web. >> people, they hear these stories, they see these children, they still find it hard to believe. >> i know. i mean, i would find it hard to believe if i wasn't living it. hopefully, what we will be able to do with the realm of caring foundation is to establish the research and collect it in a way that the science community can say that it's valid, because you're right, right now, his story is just anecdotal evidence. it is just a good story. it's a darn good story though. >> reporter: and yet, as encouraging as the anecdotal evidence may be, there's been no

clinical research on the safety or efficacy of charlotte's web. clinical research on the safety or efficacy of charlotte's we clinical research on the safety or efficacy of charlotte's wel clinical research on the safety or efficacy of charlotte's wei clinical research on the safety or efficacy of charlotte's weli clinical research on the safety or efficacy of charlotte's wet clinical research on the safety or efficacy of charlotte's wel clinical research on the safety or efficacy of charlotte's wee clinical researcclinical resear safety inical research on the safety ortle clinical research on the safety or efficacy of charlotte's we sch con gov heroin. serious research in this country on marijuana treatments has been spa no know, has said, okay, buddy, you with this stuff, you're giving this to kids with epilepsy? are you nuts? you know, has the fda called you and said, where's the proof? >> we can't go making claims that are not approved by the fda and we don't. the resounding theme we get back from the regulatory agencies and the medical community is, um, let's research this. that was not being said a few years ago. now it is being said. >> reporter: miracle or not, it is precisely this oil, charlotte's web, that theresa elder back in virginia was praying her state legislature would allow her to possess. and even as her son, tommy, clung to life in an icu, there

came a most unexpected visitor, senator dave marsden. >> he came to see tommy in the icu, which i believe helped him realize, wow, she is right. we don't have time. >> how are you? >> reporter: the senator decided to add an emergency clause to the legislation he was backing, a clause that would make the bill take effect immediately. if passed, the families' wait would be over. coming up --. a rare look inside the lab where this is what you give up when you start using cannabis. >> when "date line" continues. ask your vet for more information. reported side effects include vomiting and itching. nexgard. the vet's #1 choice.

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. here is what is happening, the jury gone home for the weekend and will begin a third day of dligs monday. the special council recommending

george papadopoulos to be sentenced six months in prison. scheduled to be sentenced next month. that is what's happening. back to "dateline." charlotte's web, the mystery oil. believing it may help treat the epilepsy that plagues their children. we were invited for a rare look inside of the lab where the oil is made. this is a side of the cannabis business few people see. no tie dye or --

>> this is charlotte's web? >> right. >> what do you do with this here? >> we make the plant extract and cultivate it and grow it up until it flowers and harvest it dry to bring it back to the lab to do an extraction and turns into the charlotte's web hemp oil. >> it is a hemp plant. >> the distinction that everybody makes between hemp and marijuana is important to understand. a botanist will tell you the plants are the same but according to the federal farm bill of 2014, a plant with less than .3% of thc, the ingredient gets you high is hemp. >> lower than .3. >> but has a naturally high amount of cbd. >> people believe it helps

people with epilepsy. >> when you look at this what do you see? >> i see beauty and wonderment and opportunity. >> do you think the rest of america are seeing the same thing? >> i think people are seeing how it pans out. >> one person is dr. amy brooks cayelle, a neurologist in denver. when we spoke, she said there isn't enough science to prove they work or how they affect patients. >> based on the science there is hope -- we don't know the side effects. we don't want to make their seizures better and make their lives worst. >> some of the improvement may be a placebo effect.

the expectations of the family and the investment might have weighed into the perception. >> more clinical studies need to be done. >> medicine and believing that we know the truth without doing the study is a very unsafe thing to do. the reports from a single family or child doesn't mean that everybody is going to respond that way. >> a yale trained neurologist in denver wants to see more research. marijuana has the potential to impact a wide array of diseases including his specialty, multiple sclerosis. >> dow see marijuana as a treatment for ms. >> there are clearly marijuana-related biochemical systems in the neuro system and other parts of the body. >> he says the human body may be

wired to utilize marijuana. >> the doctor treats bob. he was a trial attorney for 25 years until -- >> my 50th birthday i was told i have ms. >> it effects every patient differently. he told bob that there are research overseas that can help with symptoms. muscle spasms and pain. bob buys it legally and ingests it with a vaporizer. >> i use it with ar le quinn. and i can take like three or two hits and it would take the edge off the pain without getting me high. >> we traveled down i-25 to denver into the mountains of colorado and met army veteran

matt kale. >> it weighed heavily on my mind for a long time. he has ptsd and two duties in afghanistan left him with a shatter shattered skull and a -- >> ten months before i got back, i attempted suicide for the first time nnch. >> in his darkest hour, he tried mar marijuana and he said it helped him feel better. >> i knew i had to move where it was legal. so i became a refugee from my home. >> i live in colorado now because here we actually have freedom. >> this is my exit paperwork from the military. >> according to matt the treatment plan was to give him a

menu of prescription drug that is turn you into a zombie. >> this is what you give up when you start using cannabis. all meds that were prescribed to you from all of the different ailments that you suffered from? >> yes. >> marijuana helps him more and without research there's no way to know for sure. for matt, there's no question. >> has marijuana saved your life? >> yes. i wouldn't be alive today without cannabis. i would be dead. i guarantee it. >> did you get your husband back? >> i got my husband back. yeah. and my best friend. >> back in virginia, there was good news for the families. after six grueling days in the icu, tommy elder made it home and in the two months that past

since we last seen them. the legislation worked their way through virginia general assembly and now it would come down to a critical vote. >> coming up. >> jennifer grew up here, you know. >> a family forced to live apart in search of a treatment for their child. will the upcoming vote help change that? when "dateline" continues. frequent heartburn waking him up. now that dream is a reality. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? the red one is more haribogooder to me cos it tastes like berries. they're really squishy. and then i'm gonna fly it in to my mouth. ♪ kids and grown ups love it ♪o ♪ the happy world of haribo ♪ well, esurance makes it simple and affordable. in fact, drivers who switched from geico to esurance

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>> reporter: the virginia families enter the historic state capitol, on edge. it is now february and they h a hav2 and they hav01 and they hav5 and they have come a long way. after today, the law will either pass or the vote will be put off for at least a year. >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america. >> reporter: lisa smith is here with haley. theresa elder is here, too, though tommy couldn't make it. and patrick and beth collins are here with 15-year-old, jennifer, and 17-year-old, alexandria. of the virginia families, the collinses are the only ones who experienced the benefits of s a experienced the benefits of cannabis oil firsthand. a year ago, after hearing about charlotte's web oil, their family made a decision that beth and jennifer would move to colorado for the oil, while the rest of the family stayed behind in virginia. >> i felt we really had no other option, but to try it. we didn't really plan on too long, because it was too painful

to plan out too long. this is our home and jennifer grew up here, you know? he and my family's here and my other daughter goes to school here. >> reporter: the driving force of the collin was the decision to split their family up were the side effects of the medicines jennifer was on, side effects which they say were getting more and more horrific. did you feel like you were losing your daughter? >> absolutely. losing our whole family. just watching her cognitively decline and watching these rages that, you know, were devastating for her mentally. >> we had times when we had to call 911 to come and have police come and help me because he would be out of town or something and, you know, i was afraid of my daughter. >> a little girl. >> a little girl. >> reporter: she got charlotte's web oil from the stanley brothers and gave it to jennifer, but it didn't work.

the brothers gave beth something else, thc-a. beth says that one did. what is it like for you to be free of some of those side effects? >> it's awesome. i -- i don't feel like a monster anymore. >> a monster? >> 'cause when i had the rages, i felt like a monster afterwards because i would just physically attack my parents and i didn't have any control over it. >> what would you tell people who think, we just think this whole idea of medical marijuana or that cannabis has any medicinal value, they just think that it's a bunch of baloney? >> i tell them i have seen it work. it worked with me. i have seen it work in a bunch of other kids. and that it's an amazing plant.

>> you get on the plane, fly out to colorado, see with your own eyes what's happening. what did you think? >> this is amazing. she's back. my daughter's back. her personality, you know. >> life changing. >> reporter: but splitting the family, being apart was too much. beth and jennifer moved back to virginia and that's why on this february morning, they are gathered here with theresa elder and the smiths in the house gathering to await the final vote. >> the house is now in session. >> what this bill says one simple thing, if you or your child has intractable epilepsy and you are caught with this oil, the commonwealth of virginia is not going to make a criminal out of ya. >> reporter: the families sit,

anxious, and waiting. >> the bills listed from pages 1 through 37 -- >> reporter: there are other bills up for vote first. >> house bill 1950. >> reporter: huddled, high above the politicians, deciding their fate and the well being of their children. finally, the bill number pops up on the vote board. the vote is called. the mothers draw in tighter and cling to the hope that all this hard work won't be in vain. "dateline" returns after the break. with the #1 name in flea and tick protection. frontline plus. trusted by vets for nearly 20 years.

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♪ >> narrator: welcome back to "dateline." now with the conclusion of "growing hope," here's harry smith. >> reporter: you could feel the tension in the public gallery in the state capital in richmond, virginia, but then, as if the numbers on a lottery ticket appeared in a row -- >> ayes, 98, nos, 0. >> reporter: they won. they had been told by a capitol inside they're emotion doesn't play in this building. really in the final vote is 98 delegates for and two abstentions. not a single no vote. these parents had done it. their children had done it with them. ♪ two weeks after the vote, virginia governor terry mcauliffe walks into the office

once occupied by thomas jefferson and amid the flashes of the local press corps, signs the legislation into law. >> okay, folks, it is now law. [ applause ] i can't tell you, first of all, how much i appreciate the great work of delegate elbow and senator marsden and thank the courageous mothers and father down here lobbying to get this legislation passed. >> reporter: all of the virginia families are here for this historic moment and haley, even with a life-threatening disease, charms one last politician. >> every parent feels that same way. you were gonna leave the common wealth of virginia. now, you can stay. and you saw the tears flowing down the cheeks of everybody in that room. they want to stay here. >> reporter: it is an important victory for these families, but it does not make marijuana legal in virginia. it allows them to possess with a doctor's certification, the oils from colorado. a big question now looms,

because pot remains illegal at the federal level, is it legal for the families to get the oil in colorado and bring it back to virginia? technically, you still can't -- >> bring it in. >> mail it, drive it, fly it. technically. >> technically. >> right? >> but we are not technical people. >> yes, i'm here to pick up some oil. >> so, where are you from? >> from virginia. >> virginia? >> reporter: one week later, bobby smith did travel to colorado to pick up the oil from the stanley brothers. >> most of them stop right there. >> reporter: because of the work the mothers did, bobby will not face prosecution for having the oil in virginia, but he is defying federal laws by taking it out of colorado. >> the moms ran the marathon and i got to finish it. thank you so much. >> nice to meet you. nice to meet you, too. >> wow. yes! as far as we have traveled, as

much as the moms have done, i hope and pray this medication works. ♪ >> reporter: as the sun rises in virginia, it's a new day. after bobby's trip to colorado, haley starts treatments with charlotte's web. >> you ready? >> reporter: there's no guarantee it will work but the smiths believe it's worth a try. >> there it is. taste like brussels sprouts? >> reporter: lisa and bobby are hopeful as they wait to see if it works. jennifer collins is using the thc-a she first tried in colorado and beth and patrick are lowering the doses of her anti-epileptic pharmaceuticals. they recently shared after two years jennifer continues to respond well to medical marijuana. so now that you know that thc-a works for your daughter, are you

prepared to break or circumvent federal law in order to make sure she continues to get it? >> we wouldn't have worked this hard for this bill if we weren't. >> reporter: for teresa elder and her son, tommy, the situation is a bit more complicated. theresa works for the federal government. by law, you can't possess it, because you are a federal employee, right? >> right. >> but do you have an overriding moral responsibility to your child? if a doctor says it might be able to help if all your research says it might be able to help, do you help your kid or do you defy your government? >> that is the huge dilemma, i can't defy my government, because i can't lose my job, but if i have to choose between losing my job or losing my kid, what would any mother do?

>> reporter: as far as the parents in virginia travel and as far as that first mother, page figgy, traveled, all these parents say there is farther to go. federal government needs to finally step in and get involved. >> reporter: page figgy is lobbying on capitol hill for a law named after her daughter that would make charlotte's web legal nationally. and all the virginia families are fighting for federal changes as well that would make medical marijuana easier to access and research. we had to face that that this is not fda approved, can't be, because it is a schedule one. >> reporter: taking their case to senators, like new york senator, kirsten gillibrand. >> congress shouldn't stand in the way of children to ho need medicine. >> reporter: dr. amy brooks kai who says we don't know enough about cannabis-based treatments, acknowledges that marijuana's status as a schedule one

controlled substance creates a catch-22. >> the fact that marijuana is a schedule one drug is a significant barrier to research. is it completely preventing it? no. is it slowing it down? absolutely. in my opinion, should marijuana be schedule one? absolutely not. there are known medical uses for marijuana. >> reporter: page figgy says because of those known medical uses, she will keep fighting until federal law is changed. >> i am just willing to go fight for this for other kids because i don't want even one more kid to have to go through -- if i have to fight all these years for this, to help one kid to not suffer for one day or one hour, it is worth it i mean, one kid, one day, of no suffering is absolutely worth it. >> reporter: lisa and bobby say after a couple of month, haley is suffering less. when we spoke to them last they said she experienced a 60% reduction in seizures. >> nice job, haley. >> reporter: if charlotte's web

the stanley brothers decided to ship it there and to other states with similar laws. in spite of the fact that several agencies maintain that oils like charlotte's web are illegal. while the fight continues on a national level, the families claimed victory at home. virginia enacted a law to allow thc-a oil for any diagnosed disease with a doctor's recommendation. for these families it is an incredible journey that was considered impossible. but through it all their inspiration has remained the same. >> there's nothing i wouldn't to for my daughter, either of my daughters. >> we are just like any other parent, trying to do what's best for their kid. >> and when you have access to it now, if you didn't get the

oil now and you waited and she passed during a seizure, would you always say why didn't we go? why didn't we risk it? you know, breaking a federal law would be okay if i still had my daughter. so, we choose for life. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. >> narrator: i'm craig melvin. >> narrator: i'm natalie morales. >> narrator: and this is "dateline." i learned that he was arrested. i was shocked. i was just so confused. i didn't think it was real. >> in the rarefied world of the ivy league, he was the package. star student, gifted athlete, wildly popular. >> he is one of the nicest guys ever. >> no one could understand how a weekend visit to his parents' house ended in gunfire. >> w a