Could cannabis prevent epileptic seizures? Experts examined the potential use of medical marijuana and pure cannabidiol (CBD) to treat severe forms of the disorder.

The use of marijuana to treat various diseases and health conditions has been highly debated over the years. A number of articles published in Epilepsia, a journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), analyze the role that medical marijuana plays in treating more serious types of epilepsy, like Dravet syndrome.

Dr. Edward Maa, Chief of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at Denver Health in Denver, Colo., looked at a case study detailing one mother’s experience of giving her epileptic daughter medical marijuana to curb her seizures stemming from Dravet syndrome. When combined with the patient’s anti-epileptic medications, the strain of cannabis high in CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) helped to decrease the child’s frequency of seizures from 50 per day down to two or three per month.

“Colorado is ‘ground zero’ of the medical marijuana debate. As medical professionals it is important that we further the evidence of whether CBD in cannabis is an effective antiepileptic therapy,” said Dr. Maa in a statement.

As of late, medical marijuana has been legalized in 21 states and the District of Columbia.

While the evidence of the effect of medical marijuana on curbing seizures from epilepsy appears to be promising, the overall number of controlled trials of THC or CBD in epilepsy is still lacking. Randomized controlled studies are currently in the planning stages. Further investigation into the safety of medical marijuana to curb seizures is necessary.