Contributor: Timothy D. Pineda
Marijuana and epilepsy. There’s always been a special, relieving bond between cannabis and epilepsy. The wealth of studies and data collected proving weed for epilepsy is beneficial are readily available. Yet, for one reason or another, the average person is unaware how medical marijuana and epilepsy work with one another.
Studies Show That Cannabis Can Help Epilepsy Sufferers In A Major Way
In the days of Reefer Madness, and other forms of outrageous anti-cannabis propaganda, you may have seen folks say that one causes the other. But, after years of clinical studies and trials, it appears as though the opposite is actually true. Well, in most cases anyway. The studies needed to conclude the official use of cannabis for epilepsy are still being conducted, with many experts claiming we are years away from any definitive answer on the subject. But many are optimistic that marijuana for epilepsy is a worthwhile form of treatment.
Which, even though it may sound like a bit of depressing news, it is entirely not the fault of the medical community for such a delay in research. You see, it is actually the federal government who is to blame for this egregious lapse in much-needed medical research.
Decades ago, which now feels like eons, the “powers that be” on Capitol Hill at the time, officially proclaimed cannabis, and its various forms, a Schedule One substance. This was monumental, as it legally prohibited any sort of scientific study from being done on marijuana, a substance that the government now declared dangerous, and lacking any sort of medicinal value whatsoever.
And, on top of that, if there were going to be any studies done on marijuana, it was only going to be done by the government, on their turf, and under their terms. Also, they were only going to be using their own, poorly-grown cannabis. This methodology, as you can already see, is full of holes. This meant the government could manipulate whatever study they wanted, and release it to the public, solely in order to further their various anti-cannabis propaganda tactics.
It was all very disgusting. But what was even more frustrating was, despite that federal ban, certain scientists were conducting studies on their own, and they were finding a wealth of beneficial results when they implemented cannabis as a form of medicine. Same could be said for the litany of patients out there who sought out cannabis as a form of medicine, in lieu of the otherwise super-addictive and actually-lethal alternative, opioids.
Thousands of innocent Americans lose their lives because of these overpriced prescription pills, and the government stands idly by, allowing all of this pill-related chaos to wreak havoc on the lives of their citizens.
Why? Because “money,” that’s why. It’s always about money. And, so long as the almighty dollar is still being funneled into the pockets and campaigns of these corrupt politicians by pharmaceutical lobbyists, there will be little to no progress made in Washington whatsoever.
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Now, as gloom as that sounds, it was our reality for decades. It was only in the past handful of years or so that things started to loosen up a bit, in regards to cannabis, as more and more states decided to legalize it on their own, come what may from the federal government. And, as these territories took on the task of legalized cannabis, they quickly realized how beneficial it was to their citizens and to their economy. More states quickly followed suit, and it’s been a steady influx of states legalizing cannabis, in one way or another, ever since.
Seeing as how they were fighting an uphill battle, the federal government has since loosen its stranglehold on cannabis research, and more and more doctors are finally able to see just what this miracle plant is capable of in the world of medicine. So, as you can see, it’s of no fault of the doctors, or medical community, that research in this field has been delayed for so long.
However, all that said, it appears as though researchers are starting to see how cannabis can help those who suffer from epilepsy. And their findings are nothing short of astounding.
As it turns out, after multiple studies on the subject, scientists and experts have discovered that the endogenous cannabinoid system can be found all throughout the human body. With the ability to release the calming properties of cannabis throughout the entire body, that makes it possible to calm any sort of seizure that may occur as a result of epilepsy.
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One of the many experts who has studied extensively in this realm of medicine, Catherine Jacobson, was able to summarize her overall feelings on the subject of cannabis as a form of epilepsy treatment. The Director of Clinical Research at Tilray in Canada offered up the following statement on the matter.
She said, “A pure CBD formula was the safest way to begin trials on epilepsy patients because of its lack of psychoactivity. The trouble with developing a single pure CBD formula is that epilepsy has never been a one-size fits all disorder. Of the 200,00 children living with treatment-resistant epilepsy, only a fraction have access to clinical trials investigating CBD. This leaves most parents and patients to acquire their own CBD-rich cannabis, which always contains some percentage of THC.”
Adding, “It’s important to learn from these cases to understand which types of epilepsies might respond to a combination product, and to inform future clinical trials. Early results from clinical studies on GW’s Epidiolex clearly show a beneficial effect of CBD on some types of seizures, but more research is needed to fully understand whether a combination THC/CBD product can reduce the seizure burden in those patients who don’t respond to CBD alone.”
Another medical expert in the very same field of research, Dr. Edward Maa, who is the Chief of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at Denver Health and Hospitals, echoed a similar statement made by Catherine Jacobson.
Specifically, he said, “It is possible that CBD and [THC] work synergistically to suppress seizures. In fact, Ethan Russo, senior medical advisor to GW Pharma, recently reviewed the evidence for the ‘entourage effect’ of the phytocannabinoids and terpenoids, and he makes a strong case for their synergistic effects in a variety of disease states.”
And since that ‘entourage effect’ first hit the medical scene, more and more studies have come out proving just how beneficial it can be, especially in cases wherein marijuana is relied on as a form of medicine.
Even though there’s no hard-and-fast ruling as to whether or not cannabis can be considered a legitimate form of treatment for epilepsy, the studies that have come out so far, are very positive. And, much like the rest of the cannabis community, I’m confident that we’ll be seeing even more “good news” from similar studies of this nature.
There’s still a lot of work left to be done, but we are heading in the right direction, no doubt about it.
