Patients with a rare and debilitating form of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome have experienced a significant reduction in seizures after being treated with cannabis. In some cases, patients’ seizures were eliminated completely.

The study, which was published May 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine, included a clinical trial of children and young adults with Davet syndrome. Patients who took doses of the cannabis extract cannabidiol experienced half as many seizures per month as those who received a placebo. Five percent of patients treated became completely seizure-free during the study period.

This is among one of the first studies to provide solid, clinical evidence to support cannabis as a form of treatment for epilepsy.

The Epilepsy Foundation has reported there are no medications on the market that can completely control seizures in children with Dravet Syndrome.