Yuji Masataka, MD, states that this ‘could be due to the quality of the CBD in these early years, or due to the fact that the cost was prohibitive.’ In order to achieve a high enough dosage, the cost was at a prohibitive £40 plus per day, meaning it was not readily accessible to the majority of suitable candidates.
This was why Green Zone Japan was founded in 2017 by my colleague Yuji Masataka, MD, and myself, with the aim of bringing the most up-to-date, evidence-based information on medical cannabis to Japanese audiences – particularly medical professionals.
The parents were researching alternative ways to improve the wellbeing of their child and were looking into the possibility of CBD for epilepsy as an option.
During this initial project, the participant received 18mg/kg doses of CBD for epilepsy, the largest on record in Japan at this time.
As previously discussed, due to the legal landscape of cannabis in Japan, sourcing and importing the product at high enough doses to be therapeutically effective was generally cost-prohibitive for participants.
Dr Masataka’s recent report has been rejected for publication in Japan as cannabis is still somewhat of a taboo academically in the region.
More than 50% of current participants are reporting improvements and 10% are experiencing significant effects – such as the case of a two-year-old girl with West Syndrome; she underwent brain surgery, and sadly her seizures continued.
The next phase of the project involves increasing and broadening the scope of diseases and embracing more indications, offering support to a greater number and more diverse range of participants.