In her home state of Texas, 12-year-old Alexis Bortell and her family were given only two options to treat the tween girl’s severe epilepsy; an experimental lobotomy or to accept the debilitating seizures that made Alexis’ days barely worth living. Instead, the Bortell family chose a different option, and moved to Colorado, where access to medical marijuana oils and sprays have completely transformed Alexis’ life. They have reduced her seizures from an everyday occurrence to a series of once-a-monthly pre-seizure auras that, thanks to cannabis, are prevented before they even start.
Now, in conjunction with four cannabis advocate peers, Bortell is at the center of a lawsuit targeting the federal government and the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), claiming marijuana’s continued Schedule I status infringes on her constitutional rights.
“This is not just a case about the CSA. This is a civil rights case that focuses on the rights of individuals using life-saving medication to preserve their lives and health,” Bortell’s attorney, Michael Hiller, told Rolling Stone in a deep dive into the wide-reaching marijuana reform lawsuit. “It’s not just about cannabis, it’s…