The DEA is finally changing how it regulates marijuana products
With the approval of a childhood epilepsy medication the federal government can no longer claim marijuana has no medical benefit.
01 October, 2018
Demonstrators Protest DEA Raids On Marijuana ClinicsWEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - JANUARY 18: Protesters demonstrate the day after Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raids shut down 11 medical marijuana clinics around Los Angeles County on January 18, 2007 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
- For the first time in nearly a half-century, the federal government has approved a medication with a cannabis compound.
- CBD is all the rage in health food stores, but credible research is needed to know what therapeutic applications hold up.
- DEA officer says this could signal a "sea change" in the legalization of cannabis-related products.
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<p>If you're confused about the legality of marijuana, you're not alone. While states have been in perpetual battle with the federal government since California legalized the medical usage of cannabis in 1996, things have been especially heated lately with more studies proving the clinical efficacy of the cannbidiols (CBD) contained in the marijuana plant. </p><p>It doesn't help that every coffee shop and health food store is taking advantage of this trend by selling eight-dollar bottles of cold brew coffee with CBD. Mass marketization was inevitable, certainly, but the pace with which CBD hit the shelves is astounding. The fact that it's being touted to cure every possible ailment imaginable does not help us figure out what CBS is actually useful for. </p><p>The cannabis plant has approximately 113 cannabinoids, of which CBD is one—it was first isolated in 1940. CBD interacts with our body's exogenous cannabinoid receptors and neurotransmitters. Since our body comes equipped with its own endocannabinoid system, responsible for pain, mood, memory, and, yes, appetite, we likely have a very long history with this plant. The munchies are real. </p><p>Among the many proposed therapeutic uses for CBD is treating two rare forms of childhood epilepsy. Clinical studies in this domain have been so successful that, for the first time ever, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marijuana-epilepsy-drug-approved-dea-cbd-2018-9?r=US&IR=T" target="_blank">DEA has stepped in</a> to allow prescriptions of Epidiolex. CBD will not get you high—that's THC—but for the first time since marijuana was officially outlawed in 1970 the federal government is green lighting one its compounds.</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bd68849a4a79805387901f98197e3310"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0ygtX2nyexo?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Marijuana advocates have long known its classification as a Schedule 1 substance is <a href="https://harpers.org/archive/2016/04/legalize-it-all/" target="_blank">more political than physiological</a>. The DEA's drug scheduling chart includes five categories:</p><ul><li>Schedule 1: no accepted medical use; high potential for abuse. Drugs include marijuana, heroin, LSD, ecstasy, and peyote</li><li>Schedule 2: high potential for abuse and dangerous. Drugs include Vicodin, OxyContin, fentanyl, Adderall, and Ritalin</li><li>Schedule 3: moderate to low potential for abuse. Drugs include codeine, ketamine, anabolic steroids, and testosterone</li><li>Schedule 4: low potential for abuse or dependence. Drugs include Xanax, Ativan, Valium, Tramadol, and Darvon</li><li>Schedule 5: the lowest potential for abuse. Drugs include cough syrup, Lyrica, Parepectolin, and Lomotil<span></span></li></ul>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODY3NTEwOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3Njk3NzUzMn0.Dku3DsmMg88exrh7gCHIKqFirkXt6rjE7D7nvi2SXOE/img.jpg?width=980" id="421ca" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0da91646e8df8e696936141cf66c264e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />VENICE, CA - JUNE 09: A general view of the MedMen Abbot Kinney store ribbon cutting ceremony on June 9, 2018 in Venice, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for MedMen Enterprises)<p>Since the Nixon era, cannabis consumers have had to rely on anecdotal evidence. (As a cancer survivor, I'll chime in that edibles were way more effective at quelling post-chemo stomach pains and returning my appetite, one of the many claimed applications.) Recent research shows a wide range of therapeutic applications, including helping <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166223617300012" target="_blank">opioid addicts manage pain</a>, helping everyone <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/new-national-academies-sciences-report-marijuana-cannabis-health-effects-2017-1?r=US&IR=T" target="_blank">deal with chronic pain</a>, <a href="https://today.uic.edu/low-dose-thc-can-relieve-stress-more-does-just-the-opposite" target="_blank">deal with stress</a> (at low doses), ease pain associated with <a href="http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2012/05/14/cmaj.110837" target="_blank">multiple sclerosis</a>, and may even, somewhat counterintuitively, help <a href="http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(13)00200-3/abstract" target="_blank">combat the obesity epidemic</a>. </p><p>As with all such studies, more research is needed. Advocates should welcome this. If it turns out that compounds in the cannabis plant do not really help opioid addicts manage pain, we shouldn't use it as a calling card for legalization (although this one is <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/04/02/598787768/opioid-use-lower-in-states-that-eased-marijuana-laws" target="_blank">holding up</a>). Now that at least one medication is FDA-approved, however, the DEA should immediately remove marijuana from its Schedule 1 listing. Those two facts cannot co-exist without obvious contradiction. </p><p>The mainstreaming of clinical research is also necessary to reduce cost. Right now, Epidiolex will run you <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cost-first-fda-approved-marijuana-medication-epidiolex-2018-8" target="_blank">$32,500 annually</a>. Parents of children suffering from seizures don't deserve that kind of pain on top of what they already have to deal with, especially not in a medication with as common an ingredient as CBD. </p><p>And we might see that day soon. Barbara Carreno, the DEA's PR officer, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marijuana-epilepsy-drug-approved-dea-cbd-2018-9?r=US&IR=T" target="_blank">recently said</a> a "sea change" is possible within the entire CBD industry. As the cash rolls in, this is likely to be the case: CBD is expected to be worth <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/markets/cbd-industry-expected-to-hit-2-billion-by-2022-14683940" target="_blank">$2 billion</a> annually by 2022. It might not get you high, but most importantly, it will be available when you actually need it.</p><p><span></span>--</p><p><em>Stay in touch with Derek on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/derekberes" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DerekBeresdotcom" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</em></p>
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Cannabis Compound to Be Reclassified as Medicine in the UK
Studies have shown that cannabidiol (CBD) can help with epilepsy, heart disease, diabetes, and even schizophrenia.
06 January, 2017
Medical marijuana advocate makes cannabis oil.
Cannabinoids are certain chemical compounds found only in cannabis. Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol is (THC) is the most commonly recognized. This is what gives users that telltale euphoric feeling. THC may also play a role, should medical marijuana continue to become mainstream, as a painkiller. In fact, one study found that those states that passed a medical marijuana law saw a drop in opioid painkiller-related deaths.
<p>THC can ease nausea, while inducing sleep as well as appetite. This is why Marinol—whose active ingredient is THC, is prescribed to certain cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. There is some indication that it may have <a href="http://www.alternet.org/drugs/cbd-users-manual-everything-you-need-know-marijuana-medicinal-compoiund" target="_blank" title="Alternet">anti-cancer properties</a>. Far more studies will need to be conducted to tell whether or not this is so. </p> <p>Though THC itself may have some medical uses, this isn’t the most exciting of the cannabinoids from a medical standpoint. Rather, cannabidiol (CBD) is the one advocates push for. It has no psychoactive properties, yet may have a number of clinical uses. Initially, interest grew across the US and the world in the wake of a CNN special. Children with rare but potentially deadly forms of epilepsy, such as Dravet syndrome, were seeing dramatic turnarounds after taking CBD oil.</p> <p>The TV special centered on Charlotte Figi, a little girl who went from having up to 80 severe seizures per day to a mild one, once a month. Unfortunately, most of the data we have is anecdotal, due to restrictions and red tape which slows down research. In the US, marijuana is considered a schedule I narcotic under the Controlled Substances Act. This means it is among the most deadly substances on Earth, such as heroin and LSD, and has no medical uses. The FDA recently considered rescheduling marijuana, but failed to do so.</p> <p><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODMzODMwMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MDYyMDcyN30.2KLx1bn6OnxMShVp2vGGXuh9bGZk9IKcNdrIktkKDVQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="1359d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9830ec3ff96f29694b8cb4f325a42274" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><br><em>A patient in Israel received CBD oil. </em></p> <p>Though few, there have been some studies on the substance. And more and more are coming in from overseas. Research suggests that in addition to improving the condition of epileptics, CBD can be effective in treating <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-powerful-new-form-of-medical-marijuana-without-the-high/2016/12/29/81bbf7c0-b5b2-11e6-b8df-600bd9d38a02_story.html?utm_term=.1d4d331ae4e2" target="_blank" title="The Washington Post ">heart disease, diabetes, schizophrenia</a>, and more. Today, researchers aren’t sure which pathway CBD takes. The most likely is it interacts with the endocannabinoid system, a series of receptors which control cell death and regeneration.</p> <p>These receptors are found in organs and tissues throughout the body. Despite illegality federally, almost half the states in the US now allow some access to medical marijuana, and most often it’s to CBD. One wonders if the incoming Trump administration will allow such a dichotomy to continue, or plans to clamp down on these states.</p> <p>Other countries have had similar trajectories. The UK’s Home Office last year, in response to a petition on recreational marijuana, wrote that cannabis “can unquestionably cause harm to individuals and society.” Even so, recently, in that same country, The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (<a href="http://news.sky.com/story/cannabis-ingredient-to-be-classed-as-medicine-in-uk-10714967" target="_blank" title="Sky News">MHRA</a>) announced a policy change, reclassifying CBD as medically useful rather than a dangerous substance. This wasn’t due to the activism on the part of patients and families, such as it was in the states.</p> <p>Instead, according to <em>Sky News</em>, the director of the MHRA Gerald Heddel said that the change came as a consequence of companies making claims about the cannabinoid’s ability to heal. Heddel stated that after a review of the evidence, it was clear that the change made sense. Up until now, those in the UK interested in CBD either had to move out of the country or source it illegally, as it was only available to those with M.S. Now, manufacturers interested in bringing CBD products to market will need to have them scrutinized by regulators for quality, safety, and effectiveness.</p> <p>Some patients in the UK fear losing access, while others are afraid such a move may send the wrong message, that cannabis is safe. In their statement the MHRA admitted CBD has a positive effect on <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cannabis-legality-uk-government-finally-admits-marijuana-has-a-medicinal-effect-a7355941.html" target="_blank" title="The Independent ">“physiological functions.”</a> Yet, the UK is still a long way from legalizing pot for recreational purposes. What’s interesting is this reclassification came at a time when a British company, GW Pharmaceuticals, announced completion of a phase III clinical trial. They tested a CBD-based drug. The trial’s conclusions were highly positive.</p> <p>To learn more about the debate surrounding cannabis, click here: </p> <div class="video-full-card-placeholder" data-slug="altering-perception-with-cannabis" style="border: 1px solid #ccc;">
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