A Glasgow mum is battling for her two-year-old daughter to access cannabis-based medication that she believes “could potentially save” the young girl from severe seizures.
Little Minnie Granger, from Cardonald, was enduring over 100 seizures daily until she started on cannabidiol (CBD).
Her mother, Hannah Granger, has seen a reduction in many of the smaller seizures, but Minnie still suffers from the most severe ones, which can stop her breathing for nearly a minute.
Hannah, aged 31, is convinced that medication containing THC – the psychoactive element in cannabis – could enhance Minnie’s life and decrease the frequency of her seizures.
Although medicinal cannabis was legalised in the UK in 2018, the NHS maintains that the risks linked with THC-containing medications “are not currently clear”, insisting that more clinical trials are necessary before their use. As previously covered by Glasgow Live, Minnie may be the sole person globally with her specific condition, diagnosed when doctors found she was missing 21 genes, several associated with epilepsy, at just eight weeks old.

The disorder causes Minnie to experience six different seizure types, sleep approximately 19 hours a day, rely heavily on medication, and cry during her waking moments.
Minnie frequently experiences severe seizures that halt her breathing for up to 50 seconds, occurring multiple times a week. Each episode requires Hannah to intervene actively; she must stimulate Minnie’s chest to resume breathing, administer two litres of oxygen, and meticulously record the seizure’s duration, reports Glasgow Live.
Shouldering the responsibilities as a full-time carer, Hannah identifies the role as a never-ending task, with her diligent husband Gavin and their eldest son Finley, age 12, also sharing the carer duties.
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Hannah explained: “Minnie’s seizures are so bad that she cannot be left alone. If I go to the toilet, she comes with me, when I’m doing washing, she’s with me. These breath-holding seizures are so horrendous. I have seen her saturations completely flatline.”
Despite trying nine different anti-seizure medications, doctors suggest Minnie may be resistant to the treatments, with little hope of any drug fully managing her epilepsy.
The prognosis is stark, as the family has been cautioned that Minnie is unlikely to ever be seizure-free and is expected only to live into early adulthood. Hannah stated: “This is a drug that could potentially save Minnie. She’s supposed to be starting nursery and doing all these things, but she’s just sleeping full time.”
At present, the NHS provides Minnie with Epidyolex, a CBD oil derived from cannabis lacking the psychoactive THC element.
However, Hannah is convinced that a medication with THC would more effectively control Minnie’s seizures.
Hannah expressed the transformation she witnessed in her daughter’s condition after starting Epidyolex, noting a significant decrease in seizures.
She recounted: “Before she started Epidyolex, Minnie was having over a hundred seizures a day. She was having tonic seizures where her arms would be stiff, she was having clusters of seizures all day long, spasms, absent seizures. She started the CBD and the tonic seizures and spasms, they completely stopped. The CBD has done something for her seizures, but it’s not enough to take away the big ones.”

However, Hannah has faced difficulty in obtaining a prescription for medication with higher THC content, which she has seen other parents acquire from Holland.
Explaining the dire circumstances, Hannah said: “You’re being put in a position of having to be a criminal to save your child’s life. I know getting Minnie cannabis oil isn’t going to cure her-it’s not going to change the fact that she’ll die in early adulthood-but it’s going to make that time on our side a lot easier if she’s not having intractable epilepsy every single day.”
She also shared her concern regarding the lengthy process for NHS approval of these drugs and the urgency of her daughter’s situation, stating: “Minnie hasn’t got years to wait. She could be dead by then. She has such bad side effects to anti-seizure medications that putting her on a new anti-seizure medication could kill her.”
Minnie is currently undergoing treatment with potassium bromide, which is not licensed in the UK and is considered a last resort when other treatments have proven ineffective. Her mother, Hanah, questions the reluctance to use cannabis oil containing THC, also unlicensed, stating: “If they can put her on potassium bromide, which is unlicensed, why not cannabis oil with THC that is also unlicensed.”

She has been inspired by social media footage showing significant improvements in children after using THC-infused cannabis oil.
However, the NHS cautions that the dangers associated with THC-containing medicines are unclear, citing psychosis and dependency as potential issues. Despite this, Hanah believes the benefits for Minnie’s wellbeing would be substantial, arguing the drug could enhance her alertness and decrease seizure frequency, lamenting: “This medication is sat there, ready to go, and they’re not letting us have it.”
Two national trials focusing on cannabis-derived medications are expected to commence this year, per Epilepsy Action.
Eager for early access for Minnie before the September trials, Hanah said: “Minnie can’t wait for access to the trials in September, and this is a viable route. Why not give it to her now before it’s too late? ” In her fight, Hannah applauded the efforts of End Our Pain, a UK group advocating for the legalisation of cannabis-based drugs for children, which is also backing the family’s case.
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