
FDA approves country’s first medicine made from marijuana - eplanit
https://www.statnews.com/2018/06/25/fda-approves-countrys-first-medicine-made-from-marijuana
======
stephengillie
CBD has a theraputic component whose benefits are still being explored.

> _The drug, GW Pharmaceuticals’ Epidiolex, is made of cannabidiol, or CBD, a
> component of marijuana that does not give users a high. It is given as an
> oil, and in clinical trials, it was shown to reduce the number of seizures
> by about 40 percent in patients with Dravet or Lennox-Gastaut syndromes._

Another hurdle is an upcoming DEA review:

> _Before GW can market Epidiolex, though, the Drug Enforcement Administration
> will have to reclassify CBD, which in this case, because it comes from
> marijuana, is considered a Schedule I drug, meaning it has no medical value
> and a high risk of abuse. The agency is expected to do so within 90 days._

This decision could indicate the long-term future of cannabis research and
medical use. If this is approved, likely similar projects could be approved.
However a denial would signal that such research may not be viable for several
years.

They're using their own high-CBD, low-THC strain:

> _Although Epidiolex was only approved for the two specific conditions,
> analysts expect doctors to prescribe it off label for a variety of epileptic
> diseases. It comes from a proprietary strain of cannabis grown by GW that
> has been bred to have high levels of CBD and low levels of THC, the
> component that does make people high._

Cannabis has largely been bred to have stronger and stronger effects over
time. THC and CBD have effects that cancel each other out, so part of the
stronger effect comes from the increase of THC content, and another part comes
from the decrease of CBD content. Legalization has brought support for CBD-
dominant varieties, and some cannabis stores in WA State have occasional CBD
sales when their THC supplies get low.

