The annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society took place in early December, and the largest study presented confirmed the astounding benefits of medical cannabis to treat seizures.

Epilepsy affects one in 26 Americans, “with one-third having a form of the condition that resists treatment or effective management.” Children and young adults are particularly affected by this debilitating condition.

The findings of the study add to the growing body of evidence that cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive extract of cannabis, can provide the best option for treatment-resistant epilepsy. Of 261 patients given CBD treatment, 45% experienced a significant reduction in seizure frequency, and 9% were seizure-free at three months. Some children continued to experience benefits after the trial ended, even one year after.

“In the subsequent periods, which are very encouraging, 9 percent of all patients and 13 percent of those with Dravet Syndrome epilepsy were seizure-free. Many have never been seizure-free before,” said lead author Orrin Devinsky.

The Free Thought Project has covered many stories of CBD providing miraculous benefits to children suffering from treatment-resistant epileptic seizures. With scientific evidence piling up, it is no longer deniable that cannabis provides a host of medical treatments.

Research began in the mid-20th-century on medical cannabis was quashed with the government’s war on drugs, but is being rekindled as states continue to legalize medicinal and recreational use. However, clinical trials take a long time, and they are just beginning.

The call for ending all government roadblocks to medical cannabis research is growing louder and more furious, from doctors and patients alike. Researchers want to explore all options in the quest to cure human ailments.

“As a practitioner, I have had families move to Colorado, and many tried multiple different products,” said Devinsky. “As a doctor, I often don’t feel like I know which of many factors is contributing to a patient doing better or worse. We absolutely need rigorous, scientific data on this.”