CNN highlights how marijuana prohibition harms children

"Think of the children," is usually the rallying cry of opponents of drug legalization. But CNN on Thursday highlighted how marijuana prohibition was actually harmful to some children who were denied the potentially life-saving drug.

In a segment on The Lead, CNN host Jake Tapper interviewed a man whose young daughter suffers from a rare form of epilepsy that causes her to have daily seizures. The condition has been treated with a special strain of marijuana, but the young girl is currently prohibited from using it under New Jersey state law. Brian Wilson recently confronted Gov. Chris Christie (R) about the issue.

"With Dravet Syndrome and all forms of severe epilepsy, these seizures can be life ending," Wilson explained on CNN. "They're extremely taxing on your heart, on your respiratory system, on your brain. Vivian has stopped breathing twice during the course of extended seizure. She has seizures that will last sometimes 45 to 60 minutes."

Without controlling her seizures through the use of marijuana, his daughter is constantly at risk of dying, Wilson said.

"So, her life is at risk every day. Kids die all the time from this. There was a week -- there was a four-week period in April where four children with Dravet Syndrome died. So, it's one of the realities we face unless we can get this under control."

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta added that children suffering from Dravet Syndrome did not have many options. If marijuana wasn't available, children could be put on as many as seven different medications at one time.

"This is one of those situations where we know what the options are and none of them really work, besides high CBD cannabis," Gupta said.

Watch video, uploaded to YouTube by CNN, below: