Consuming a marijuana-based drug may be safe in treating children with severe epilepsy, results of a clinical trial has shown. Following treatment with cannabidiol - a non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana -- about one in five children were described as much or very much improved from their baseline, while around half reported none, or a very slight improvement, Xinhua news agency reported.

While the trial was conducted on a small group of children with severe epilepsy, it showed that the drug had a manageable side effect profile, but only showed extensive symptom relief for a brief number of patients.