MODESTO, Calif. -- A Modesto father is so convinced his son with epilepsy is doing far better now that he's on medicinal marijuana, he's speaking out.

"I give it to him three times a day. He's now on withdrawals from his medications, from 22 pills a day to one and a half now.   Every time we take him off another pill, I'm getting my son back from being a zombie to being human again," said Jason David.

His son Jayden has a rare form of epilepsy. Violent seizures came first. The many medications he was given produced other problems, said David.

"He couldn't chew, couldn't eat.  He was lethargic all day long," he said.

Modesto police Lt. Rick Armendariz said when adults use medicinal marijuana, based on a doctor's recommendation, the department doesn't get involved. He said the department would have "concerns" if a child was being given the drug.

David said his son takes a type of marijuana that doesn't contain THC, the chemical that produces a high. He insists his son is only made healthier from his use of the marijuana. It's kept in the refrigerator, and contained within a solid block of coconut oil David heats in the microwave to turn into a liquid.

KXTV