The happiest moments for 17-year-old Riley Thaxton-Berg involve country music playing from her iPad speakers. Severely autistic and nonverbal, the Panama City teen endures therapeutic sessions for the chance to earn device time to consume her favorite Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert videos.
It’s a simple joy, but Riley’s mother Tracy Thaxton-Berg feels tickled that her daughter can enjoy it. Not so long ago, a constant fear of drop seizures held the family’s attention with a more hostile grip than any steel guitar lick. It took visits to four neurologists to diagnose the seizures, a process made more challenging since Riley couldn’t tell physicians exactly how she felt before episodes happened.
Riley hasn’t suffered a seizure in years, something the family credits to Charlotte’s Web. That’s a brand of cannabidiol product Tracy Thaxton-Berg learned about first in a Dateline report before consulting with professionals about dosages.
When Riley started taking the CBD oil, the family was told to give it six months for benefits to kick in. They saw a decrease in seizures within six days, and the condition stopped completely within seven months. In April, Riley will have gone eight years since her last seizure.
But Tracy Thaxton-Berg worries now the Legislature will force the product off shelves. Legislation seeking to cap the amount delta-9 THC in oils has the hemp industry on high alert and the Thaxton-Bergs wondering if they should consider leaving the state.
