SCIENCELIVE

A highly anticipated clinical trial has shown that treating patients with epilepsy with a compound derived from marijuana can significantly reduce and, in some cases, eliminate seizures in children and young adults. In the study, children and young adults with a rare and debilitating form of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome who took doses of  marijuana  extract experienced half as many seizures per month as those who received a placebo. And 5 percent of those treated with the marijuana extract, called cannabidiol, became seizure-free during the study period. [ 25 Odd Facts About Marijuana ] Currently, there aren't any medications that can completely control seizures in children with Dravet syndrome, according to the  Epilepsy Foundation . The study, published today (May 24) in the  New England Journal of Medicine , is among the first to provide solid, clinical evidence to support a form of treatment that is becoming fairly widespread with the advent of medical marijuana, but whi

Chelsea Clinton recently suggested that marijuana might be deadly when taken with other drugs. But is this really true? Although marijuana can interact with other drugs, there do not appear to be any reports of deaths that directly resulted from taking marijuana in combination with other drugs. While speaking in Ohio on Sept. 24, Clinton was asked whether her mother, Hillary Clinton, supports changing the way marijuana is categorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration so that it would be easier for researchers to conduct studies on the drug. Chelsea Clinton replied that her mother does support research on marijuana. Then, she added, "But we also have anecdotal evidence now from Colorado, where some of the people who were taking marijuana for those purposes, the coroner believes, after they died, there was drug interactions with other things they were taking." A spokesperson for Clinton later said Clinton "misspoke about marijuana's interaction with other drugs