Harry Smith Shares the Emotional Journey of Three Families Living with Extreme Epilepsy and Their Fight to Legalize CBD and THCA Oil
Dateline’s “Growing Hope” Airs Sunday, June 7 at 7p/6c
New York – June 2, 2015 — On Sunday, June 7, NBC’s Dateline will air “Growing Hope,” a powerful new report nearly six months in the making, that shines a spotlight on the potential lifesaving benefits of medicinal marijuana and the emotional journey three Virginia families must take to help their children who suffer from life threatening seizures. For parents like Lisa and Bobby Smith, Beth and Patrick Colins, and Teresa Elder and her daughter Ashley, marijuana is not about getting high – it’s about getting their children well.
Watch preview: http://nbcnews.to/1AIpDuW
“Growing Hope” takes a rare look at the lives of children with intractable epilepsy, which is often fatal, and the extraordinary sacrifices these parents make to change state law to improve their children’s lives. Over a six month period, NBC News correspondent Harry Smith interviews these Virginia-based families as they embark on a united mission to legalize CBD and THCA oils, compounds that come from the marijuana and hemp plants. This non-psychoactive strain of medicinal marijuana has shown promise in reducing chronic seizures.
Smith shares their heartbreaking stories and the tremendous obstacles they face while navigating state law and a complicated medical system that provides limited options for those suffering with these extreme forms of epilepsy.
Dateline documents the debate over legalization in Virginia and the stigma attached to marijuana with the Colorado-based Stanley Brothers, the creators of the CBD oil known as “Charlotte’s Web, as well as Dr. Amy Brooks-Kayal, President of the American Epilepsy Society and Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia.
Dateline’s “Growing Hope” airs Sunday, June 7 at 7p/6c on NBC.
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Dateline NBC is the award-winning newsmagazine known for its distinctive storytelling on a wide range of topics from true crime investigations and mysteries, to breaking news reports and special series. It airs on NBC in primetime and reaches an average audience of 7 million viewers and is followed by over 1.7M followers on social media. David Corvo is the senior executive producer, Liz Cole is the executive producer and Lester Holt is the primary anchor of “Dateline NBC” (Thursdays at 8pm/7c, Fridays at 10pm/9c, Sundays at 7pm/6c). Follow Dateline NBC on Facebook and Twitter @datelinenbc.
