Medicinal cannabis ‘no magic bullet’ for children with epilepsy

MEDICINAL cannabis is no better than conventional drugs for treating children with severe epilepsy, according to a top doctor.

After months of treatment, none of the 29 Victorian children accessing $1 million worth of medicinal cannabis product, imported from Canada, have been seizure-free.

Paediatric neurologist Professor Ingrid Scheffer said the medicinal cannabis had been effective in some of the cases by reducing fits.

However, the results had been similar to outcomes achieved on other pharmaceutical drugs and it was not the miracle solution families were hoping for.

“Initially we all had a sense of hope but that didn’t last, but that is the nature of these diseases,” Prof Scheffer said.

“It looks like (cannabis) is as good as other drugs for children, but no better.

“It highlights that this is another drug that we can choose from, it is a valuable addition. But I don’t think it was the golden bullet.”

Prof Scheffer recommended further trials of medicinal cannabis to test different compounds, adding that “really, we should trials.”

It was also understood some families were hesitant to sign up to the trial, as it required giving up the use of illegal cannabis products already available on the black market. be doing rigorous