Due to a lack of well-designed clinical trials, there is limited evidence to support the effectiveness of medicinal cannabis in treating various medical conditions, including optimal forms and dosages. However, research has primarily focused on five areas, one of which is epilepsy in both children and adult patients.
An example of evidence supporting the use of medicinal cannabis is in the treatment of certain childhood epilepsies. When multiple anti-epileptic drugs fail to alleviate symptoms, the cannabis compound cannabidiol has been used as an add-on to current treatments for drug-resistant epilepsy in children and young adults up to 25 years old. While several studies have reported improved quality of life in both paediatric and adult groups, the effectiveness of cannabidiol in treating adult epilepsy has yet to be extensively studied.
