Seizures threatened his football dreams. Cannabis oil helped him get a spot at Auburn
CJ. Harris, a senior athlete at Warner Robins High School, was just offered a guaranteed spot on the Auburn Tigers team as a preferred walk-on. It was a dream come true.
"Not often that a player can say they get to play for their dream school. God is a great God," he wrote on Twitter.
But CJ's story is about more than just his extraordinary athletic achievements.
Harris suffers from a seizure disorder, and for awhile, the family didn't know what was going to happen, or if he would still be able to play.
Then they found out about cannabis oil.
On Thursday, State Representative Heath Clark (R-Warner Robins) told Harris' story to lawmakers at the state capital.
"Just over a year ago, he was having 2-3 seizures a month," Clark said, pointing to a photo of Harris. "He didn't think he was going to get to play athletics anymore. His dreams were in the balance."
Harris had his first seizure in middle school, then another as a sophomore. Then they just kept getting worse.
"I wake up every morning and I pray, ‘Please don't let nothing happen today. Please don't let nothing happen today,'" Harris told WSB-TV. He was prescribed anticonvulsant pills, but they didn't seem to be doing much.
"It wasn’t working, and I was still having seizures,” he told the Telegraph.
Then, in 2015, the state of Georgia legalized the use of cannabis oil as a medical treatment for a handful of disorders and diseases - including seizure disorders like CJ's.
"So, some teachers and some of the other people around the (school) community realized it wasn’t working. They found this oil for me, and they said it would be a better resource than the pills," Harris told the Telegraph.
He applied to be put on the list of people who were qualified to take the new drug - and was accepted. Ever since, he's been taking cannabis oil every six hours.
"Because of the work that we have done, that we have fought for, he was able to get on the list for medical cannabis oil, and he has been seizure free for over a year," Rep. Clark said.
Because it's not allowed on school grounds, his father Curtis drives to his school every day at lunchtime, draws the oil out of a syringe, and squirts it under CJ's tongue for it to dissolve. It's an inconvenience, but one his family is willing to shoulder to control the disorder.
At the capital, Rep. Clark said there is still work to be done for students like CJ and others suffering from disorders and ailments that could be treated with low-THC (the chemical that causes a "high") medical cannabis.
"(CJ's) dreams have been fulfilled. He has a future. He's going to get a quality education at that school across the Georgia border. But I want to urge Congress to change the laws and change the scheduling of marijuana to allow for medical research and medical purposes. It's time for Congress to act," he said, as some in the chamber applauded.
Clark also called for the state legislature to allow for marijuana to be grown in Georgia for medical purposes. It is currently illegal to grow marijuana in-state, and illegal to transport the oil over state borders, leaving those approved for treatment trapped in a legal limbo on how to obtain the medicine.
State representative Allen Peak (R-Macon) is known for obtaining cannabis oil and distributing it to patients who need it. He's also one of a group of Georgia lawmakers pushing forward House Bill 645, which would allow for cultivation of marijuana for medical purposes in Georgia.
"Speak up for young men like CJ Harris," Clark told lawmakers. "We need to be resolute and resolved in what we do in this body until every man like CJ Harris has an opportunity to pursue his dreams."
This story was originally published February 9, 2018 at 1:17 PM with the headline "Seizures threatened his football dreams. Cannabis oil helped him get a spot at Auburn."