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One step forward

Some patients are begging for Tennessee to loosen cannabis regulations

Holly and TJ Ramsey

Holly and TJ Ramsey

Stories about the promise of medical cannabis as treatment for seizures and other conditions have been circulating for generations, but it wasn’t until six years ago that Holly Ramsey, a Brentwood mom of three and proud Republican, began advocating for the legalization of medical cannabis in Tennessee. Of the 2.3 million Americans living with epilepsy, more than 1 million of them have seizures that can’t be controlled by prescription medications. Ramsey’s 10-year-old son TJ is one of them.

Diagnosed at the age of 3 with cerebral palsy and refractory epilepsy — a medical term used to classify epilepsy that cannot be controlled with medication — TJ was suffering from more than 300 seizures a week, according to Ramsey. He used a feeding tube due to his lack of appetite.