NBC’s Dateline premiered a new medical marijuana documentary, “Growing Hope,” Sunday night, which shared the struggles of families in Virginia fighting to get their epileptic kids access to cannabis oil. Its time slot made it the first-ever marijuana documentary to air on prime time local television.
According to MedicalJane.com, NBC journalist Harry Smith and a Dateline team spent six months traveling and interviewing patients, scientists, doctors and activists to shed light on the often misunderstood medical marijuana industry and the people who rely on cannabis as medicine.
The one-hour special follows three families with children who suffer from uncontrollable seizures, providing a heartbreaking look at the impact intractable epilepsy has had on their lives. From their fight for the legalization of cannabis oil in Virginia to the history behind the high-CBD movement in Colorado, the documentary aims to change the mainstream perception of cannabis.
“Part of what impressed me the most was one the families we spoke to, the dad was a rocket scientist and the mom worked for NASA,” Smith told MedicalJane.com “These aren’t crazy people but they are very intent on getting what ever help they can for their kids.
“Governor Hickenlooper (of Colorado) told me two years ago, ‘This is a giant social experiment, this change is happening really really rapidly,'” Smith continued. “I used to live in Colorado and people that I know who have lived there for years, who are very much against the legalization and not thrilled about how their state is being stigmatized, have changed their views over the last year or so, as the flow of information becomes faster in terms of ‘what is this plant about.'”
You can watch the full Dateline special HERE.
