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Dennis M. Feeney, PhD
University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM

JAMA. 1976;235(11):1105.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

There have been reports of anticonvulsant properties of marihuana and its cannabinoid constituents in man¹ (234:306, 1975), and animals.^2,3 However, there have also been case reports of marihuana and cannabinoid use precipitating seizures⁴ and epileptiform electroencephalographic activity in man⁵ and in various animal models of epilepsy (Feeney et al and Consroe et al, unpublished data). Additionally, there is evidence that cannabinoids can interact with barbiturates, which are commonly used as anticonvulsants.⁶ Thus, marihuana use may activate some types of epilepsies and also could affect the course of drug therapy. To examine the extent of this potential problem, I conducted a survey of illegal drug use among epileptics.

A questionnaire was mailed to 330 patients of the Convulsive Disorder Unit of the Bernalillo County Medical Center in Albuquerque, NM. These patients had been referred for examination and treatment of epilepsy. In the questionnaire, . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Footnotes
Edited by John D. Archer, MD, Senior Editor.

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