Medical Marijuana Debate Draws Attention to Treating Seizures

Coverage of recent successes may spur demand for more research

The role of cannabinoids in the treatment of seizure disorders in children has come under the spotlight in recent months amid a string of media reports of parents obtaining the substances in states where medical marijuana is now legal and claiming "miraculous" reductions in seizures with the treatment.

Among the reports was that of a 6-year-old boy with Dravet's syndrome, a rare form of childhood epilepsy, reported by CNN. In an interview, the parents said the boy was left immobilized by the 22 antiseizure pills a day required to control his seizures, but after treatment with a liquid, nonpsychoactive form of marijuana, he was able to make it through an entire day without a seizure for the first time since he was 4 months old, and continued to see substantial reduction.

"Instead of medical marijuana, this is miracle marijuana," the father told CNN.

Another child with Dravet's syndrome in Colorado, who was having 300 grand mal seizures a week and had lost the ability to walk, talk, and eat, was similarly reported to have her seizures drastically reduced to just 3 times per month after treatment with the liquidized form of cannabis, CNN reported.