[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1912]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING JUNE JESSEE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RODNEY DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 12, 2016

  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of 
June Jessee, the daughter of Matt and Genny Jessee who passed away 
earlier this month at the age of three.
  Soon after June was born, she was diagnosed with a catastrophic form 
of epilepsy found in babies, causing her to have dozens of seizures a 
day and severely stunting her cognitive development.
  After learning of a promising new treatment therapy, that uses 
cannabidiol derived from marijuana, Matt and Genny became hopeful. The 
treatment, however, was not legal in their home state of Missouri and 
the Jessee family moved to Colorado. In the meantime, Matt took their 
family's story to state lawmakers and last fall the state legalized 
cannabidiol for seizure patients and the family was able to move back 
home to Missouri.
  Currently, federal law prohibits the medical use of this treatment. I 
am supportive of federal legislation like the Charlotte's Web Medical 
Hemp Act, that would allow for cannabidiol therapy to become more 
accessible for children like June.
  June's story has brought to light the lack of treatment options for 
children who suffer from epileptic seizures, and she will be missed by 
many. I continue to keep the Jessee family in my thoughts and prayers 
and will continue to advocate for research into this important area.

                          ____________________