Hueytown mom worries proposed Leni's Law won't benefit her daughter

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HUEYTOWN, AL (WBRC) - This week the Alabama senate is expected to vote on a bill being called Leni's Law.

That bill would allow children with epilepsy to take CBD oil - at a higher concentration than what's currently allowed under Carly's Law.

Six-year-old Kenna Townsend loves to play on the playground like most children her age. But at any moment, she could have a seizure.

"When she was 22 months old, she was diagnosed with epilepsy. We had no reasoning. It was just, she has epilepsy. No answers, just here's your medication, give it to her," Kenna's mom Brittany Townsend said.

Kenna takes pills every day, but her mom Brittany says she could get rid of those if CBD oil works. The only problem is her daughter needs a higher dose than what's allowed under Carly's law.

"It helped the seizures, but very little. But then, her behavior was like I had to pick her up from school every day. I mean, just behavior wise, she was standing on the desk jumping around screaming it was crazy," Townsend said.

Townsend says the CBD oil Kenna tried last fall had .25 percent THC.

Brittany believes her daughter needs more THC.

When Representative Mike Ball from Madison County first introduced the bill, Leni's Law would allow up to three percent THC, but through the legislative process, that number has been reduced to one percent.

Townsend says that's going to exclude a lot of people from getting the help they need.

"It excludes Leni. I mean, how do you exclude the child that it's for," Townsend asked.

Townsend says if the bill passes with just one percent, she and her family may be forced to move to another state - just like Leni Young's family did.

"My family and my husband's family is all very close here. We have the support system and we don't want to have to leave it but I mean it could come to that and I don't want it to have to come to that," Townsend said.