Bobadilla's desperation to ease her daughter's condition is an emotion familiar to other Chilean parents who say medical marijuana can help their children and who, rather than wait for Congress to act, have taken matters into their own hands. Despite the risk of jail time, about 100 parents have formed a group, Mama Cultiva or "Mama Grows," to share knowledge about cultivating marijuana to extract cannabis oil for their seizure-stricken children. Reyes learned about cannabis oil as an option and began adding a couple of drops to Lucas' baby bottle. [...] she said, the seizures have dropped to about a dozen a day and the infant now is able to eat normally and recently tasted his first mashed potatoes. A local university will use the project to research the effectiveness of the drug in treating the pain of adult cancer patients. Because Mama Cultiva focuses on children, it cannot participate. A recent statement from Chile's national medical service and other agencies said the use of medical marijuana is "insufficient, while there's vast scientific evidence that shows its harmful effects." [...] Mama Cultiva continues to grow in size as Chilean parents seek help for some 15,000 children whose epilepsy is not helped by standard medication, said Ana Maria Gazmurri, president of the Daya Foundation, a nonprofit group that sponsors pain-relieving therapies.