Family Aims Raise $250K In Fight For Medical Marijuana At South Jersey School

The family of a 16-year-old Maple Shade girl who suffers from epilepsy and autism and has been denied the right to use medical marijuana at school has set up a gofundme page to assist in their legal battle.

Genny Barbour has tried every pharmaceutical, had brain surgery at two-and-a-half years old, and was placed on a diet, but nothing worked, according to the page, “Genny: The Purple Warrior.”

The page has raised about $230 as of Thursday morning. The goal is to raise $250,000.

The use of medicinal marijuana has reduced the number of seizures she experiences to once every five days, when they once occurred daily.

She is also now able to string together words after only being able to say one word at a time previously.

“She blossomed into a child who, the other day, she walked into my office and said, ‘I love you,’ “ Genny’s father, Roger, told People Magazine. “My wife and I looked at each other, and both started crying.”

The courts have ruled twice this year that the nurse at the Larc School in Bellmawr isn’t permitted to administer cannabis oil to Genny Barbour under state law.

The most recent ruling prohibits her mother from coming to school to administer the oil at lunchtime.

As a result, Genny Barbour has had to miss half the school day every day since April so she can go home and receive her treatments.

“It’s a handicap school, and they give medicine to all of these children,” Genny Barbour’s mother Lora told the freethoughtproject.com. “Compared to the pharmaceuticals and their potentially dangerous side effects, marijuana is safer than any of these drugs.”

According to the Larc School’s website, the school “strives to meet the needs of all students and young adults with varying disabilities in a dignified manner by providing opportunities for growth, development and most important, independence.”

The family has rejected several settlement offers over the course of their legal battle, including a recent one from the Maple Shade School District, the Courier Post reports.

The proposed offer would’ve allowed Genny Barbour’s mother to take her to school at 9:30 a.m. as opposed to 8:45 a.m., to allow her to receive the medicine she needs before school, according to the report. However, it doesn’t resolve the issue of her mid-day dosage, her father told the newspaper.

To contribute to Genny Barbour’s cause, click here.

The attached image was posted on the Genny: The Purple Warrior gofundme page