7-year-old Oregon girl with cancer using medical marijuana, mom under fire

(WXYZ) - It's a tough scenario to imagine, but if your 7-year-old daughter was diagnosed with cancer, which you let her use medical marijuana?

A mother from Gladstone, Oregon is under fire for giving her daughter pills injected with concentrated marijuana oil.

In Oregon, there is no age limit for the medical marijuana program and nearly 50 children are enrolled.

Erin Purchase's daughter, MyKayla, is one of them.

MyKayla was diagnosed with leukemia last year and is undergoing chemotherapy.

MyKayla's family says she takes one medical marijuana pill each day instead of the 7 to 10 prescriptions should would normally have to take.

Her mother says the pills help ease the side effects of chemotherapy.

"She is happier," Purchase said. "She has more energy. She's eating like she used to. She doesn't have a lot of nausea."

Purchase says she respects people's views, but doesn't see a problem with her daughter using medical marijuana because she's not smoking it.

According to the 2008 law enacted in Michigan, children under the age of 18 can not be issued medical marijuana registry cards, but there are some exceptions. The child's parents must submit written consent to the state and submit written certification from two physicians.