Cannabidiol and medical marijuana for the treatment of epilepsy

Gary Mathern, Epilepsia Co-Editor in Chief Astrid Nehlig, Epilepsia Co-Editor in Chief Michael Sperling, Epilepsia Associate Editor Rarely in recent memory has there been such interest and public discussion about the potential use marijuana and one of its active substances cannabidiol (CBD) in the treatment of various neurologic conditions such as chronic pain and multiple sclerosis. This has been especially true for patients with refractory seizures and catastrophic epilepsies such as Dravet's syndrome. Although much of the discussion has occurred in the United States, where several states have semilegalized use of medicinally grown marijuana (leading some families to move to those states for access), patients and their families throughout the world have asked physicians if this is a treatment they should consider. To properly assess the use of CBD and other compounds it is critical to know about the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana, which to the editors seemed an important topic for the readers of Epilepsia. This subject was brought to our attention by Orrin Devinsky early last fall, and we thank him for helping in developing this series for Epilepsia. In this edition of Epilepsia, we present a series of articles on the potential use of CBD and medical marijuana for epilepsy. We start with this editorial to introduce the topic. Followed are two papers in our Controversy in Epilepsy series. The first by Maa et al. provide arguments from consumers and others that CBD and medical marijuana should be available for the treatment of people with epilepsy. This is followed by a rebuttal by Cilo et al. on the limited knowledge we have on the safety and utility of these compounds for those with seizures. The authors were able to review the content of each other's work and the papers were peer-reviewed. Next, Devinsky and colleagues have authored an Invited Review on this topic. Finally, the Editors of Epilepsia would like your feedback on the subject of CBD and medical marijuana for the treatment of epilepsy. Please go to the website on the next page and complete the questionnaire. We will publish the findings a few months after these articles are published. If there is a topic or idea that you think has broad interest for the readers of Epilepsia, please contact us at [email protected]. To complete the questionnaire, please go the following website: http://surveys.verticalresponse.com/a/show/1539433/4235ab9776/0 The poll includes some of the following questions: Based on the information from the position papers do you believe: Based on the information from the position papers do you believe: What is your opinion about having pharmacologic grade compounds containing CBD available for use in epilepsy patients? Would you advise patients with severe, catastrophic epilepsy who have not responded to approved therapy to try medical marijuana? The Poll will remain open until September 1, 2014 at 5pm Pacific Standard Time (Greenwich -8 hours).