Charlotte Figi, CBD pioneer and ‘Charlotte’s Web’ namesake

Charlotte Figi (2006–2020) was an American girl whose battle with severe epilepsy sparked a global movement, fundamentally reshaping public perception, medical research, and legal frameworks surrounding cannabidiol (CBD) and medical cannabis.

Early Life & Dravet Syndrome

Born in October 2006, Charlotte began experiencing violent, recurrent seizures at just three months old. She was eventually diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome, a rare, catastrophic form of intractable epilepsy that is unresponsive to standard anti-seizure medications.

By the age of five:

• Charlotte was suffering up to 300 grand mal seizures a week (around 40 per day).

• She lost the ability to walk, talk, or swallow food independently, requiring a feeding tube.

• She had suffered multiple cardiac arrests, and her doctors placed her in medically induced comas to give her body rest.

The Breakthrough with CBD

Desperate for options after conventional pharmaceuticals failed, Charlotte’s parents, Paige and Matt Figi, researched alternative therapies and discovered low-THC, high-CBD cannabis oil treatments being explored in California.

1. First Trial: Paige obtained a small amount of high-CBD cannabis extract from a local dispensary. After administering a small dose under Charlotte’s tongue, her seizures stopped immediately for seven days.

2. Partnering with the Stanley Brothers: Realizing the supply was unsustainable, Paige contacted seven brothers in Colorado—the Stanley Brothers—who were breeding a hemp strain rich in CBD but containing virtually no psychoactive THC. Because the plant had no recreational appeal, it was considered virtually worthless by traditional growers.

3. The Creation of “Charlotte’s Web”: The brothers formulated an oil extract specifically for Charlotte. Her seizures dropped dramatically—from 300 a week to just 2 to 3 per month, mostly occurring while she slept. She was able to walk, talk, feed herself, and lead a vastly improved quality of life. The strain was subsequently named Charlotte’s Web in her honor.

The Global “Charlotte Effect”

Charlotte’s story made international headlines in 2013 when Dr. Sanjay Gupta featured her in the landmark CNN documentary Weed. The national exposure transformed CBD from a niche botanical compound into a household topic:

• Medical Refugee Movement: Hundreds of families with children suffering from treatment-resistant epilepsy relocated to Colorado—dubbed “medical refugees”—to access high-CBD extracts legally.

• Legislation & Policy Reform: Charlotte’s case was instrumental in shifting public opinion. State legislatures across the United States began passing “CBD-only” medical laws, directly leading to broader legal acceptance and eventually the passage of the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, which legalized hemp-derived CBD nationally.

• FDA Approval of Epidiolex: The grassroots momentum generated by Charlotte’s story catalyzed formal scientific studies, culminating in the 2018 FDA approval of Epidiolex (a purified CBD oral solution)—the first cannabis-derived drug approved for Dravet Syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome.

Legacy

Charlotte Figi passed away on April 7, 2020, at the age of 13 due to complications from a respiratory illness that triggered her underlying condition.

Her legacy endures through the non-profit organization Realm of Caring, founded by her mother Paige to support families seeking botanical therapies, and through Colorado’s official designation of April 7 as Charlotte Figi Day. She remains widely remembered as “the girl who changed the world” for medical cannabis accessibility.