Page 23 - Beth Collins News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

My daughter's back. her personality, you know. >> life changing. >> reporter: but splitting the family, being apart was too much. beth and jennifer moved back to virginia and that's why on this february morning, they are gathered here with theresa elder and the smiths in the house gathering to await the final vote. >> the house is now in session. >> what this bill says one simple thing, if you or your child has intractable epilepsy and you are caught with this oil, the commonwealth of virginia is not going to make a criminal out of ya.

Excuse me. this was not the happy-go-lucky child i once knew. >> reporter: before beth collins can finish testifying, it happens, right there in the hearing room, haley has a seizure. lisa struggles to stabilize her daughter and tries to regain her composure. she still wants to speak to the lawmakers. >> this is lisa smith. >> reporter: she collects her thoughts and she steps to the microphone. >> this is -- this is normal for me. this is daily for me. it's been stated we don't know the long-term effects of medical marijuana. but i can tell you, i know the long-term effect of uncontrolled seiz...

>> reporter: the virginia families enter the historic state capitol, on edge. it is now february and they have come a long way. after today, the law will either pass or the vote will be put off for at least a year. >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america. >> reporter: lisa smith is here with haley. theresa elder is here, too, though tommy couldn't make it. and patrick and beth collins are here with jennifer and alexandria. of the virginia families, the collinses are the only ones who experienced the benefits of cannabis oil firsthand. in 2014, after hearing about cha...

>> you get on the plane, fly out to colorado, see with your own eyes what's happening. what did you think? >> this is amazing. she's back. my daughter's back. her personality, you know. >> life changing. >> reporter: but splitting the family, being apart was too much. beth and jennifer moved back to virginia and that's why on this february morning, they are gathered here with theresa elder and the smiths in the house gathering to await the final vote. >> the house is now in session. >> what this bill says one simple thing, if you or your child has intractable epilepsy and you are caught with t...

Something audacious, convince the state legislature to make legal room for a very specific medical marijuana. >> if it was just a matter of getting the oil for the children, health-wise, everybody is on board with that. >> we are from fairfax, virginia. >> reporter: this was the core group, beth and patrick collins and their daughter, jennifer, who suffers from jeavons syndrome, another extreme form of epilepsy. >> and jennifer has a statement, but she is a little nervous, so i'm going to read it for her. >> we came down to the capitol today to lobby for medical marijuana. >> reporter: roundin...