The Drug Enforcement Administration placed Epidiolex in Schedule V, marking the first time any drug derived from any part of the cannabis plant has been rescheduled in the U.S. “Marijuana extracts,” including CBD, remain in Schedule I, according to the administration’s 2016 Final Rule. According to the DEA, “Schedule V drugs, substances, or chemicals are […]
The US Food and Drug Administration announced today, Monday June 25, the approval of the country’s first marijuana-based prescription medication. The drug is called Epidiolex and is a plant-derived oral solution of cannabidiol (CBD)—a chemical component of marijuana that does not cause intoxication or a euphoric “high.” The FDA approved it for use in patients […]
Epidiolex, made by the United Kingdom-based GW Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of epilepsy, will likely become the first cannabis-derived medication approved by the FDA. A panel of 13 advisers to the FDA unanimously suggested the drug be approved, examining medical trials and gauging the risk-benefit factors to prescribing the medication. The CBD-based medication will face […]
Has it been studied? The answer is yes and no. Cannabis has received increased attention in this area of illness and there has been heavy investigation into the action of cannabis on seizure-related disorders. With growing legalization and output of dispensaries, there has been more of a drive to look into cannabis’ mode of operation. […]
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the nation’s new surgeon general, says that marijuana “can be helpful” for some medical conditions, and wants science to dictate policy on the federally banned substance. “We have some preliminary data that for certain medical conditions and symptoms, that marijuana can be helpful,” Murthy said during a Wednesday interview on “CBS This […]
There are numerous reasons why the prohibition of cannabis is a colossal catastrophe: thousands killed fighting over black market profits, millions arrested, decimating our minority communities, and billions in agribusiness lost because our farmers can’t grow hemp. Sadly, these tragic circumstances seem to fall on deaf ears as far as the public and our policy […]
The NW Epilepsy Foundation announces two regional conferences in November celebrating National November Epilepsy Awareness Month. The conferences will be held in Seattle, WA and Spokane, WA, and are free and open to the public. Seattle | November 8, 2014 | 8:30 A.M – 4:30 P.M | Seattle Children’s Hospital Wright Auditorium Keynote speaker, Dr. Jeffrey […]
In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, researchers at the University of Colorado, Denver will study the genes of those with a kind of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome who have been treated with a strain of medical marijuana known as Charlotte’s Web. While anecdotal evidence suggests Charlotte’s Web can be […]
When Gov. Cuomo signed the bill to to legalize pot use for some medical purposes in New York, he was aware that it would be at least 18 months before the cannabis was available. But now he is saying that 18 months might be too long for children with epilepsy to wait for relief from the cannabinoids. In […]
In an open-label observational trial at Primary Children’s hospital, 25 children and teens with treatment-resistant epilepsy who apply to be part of a new drug trial will, will receive Epidiolex, a liquid, purified form of cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive chemical in marijuana. The primary goal will be to test the tolerability of Epidiolex and the […]
Some families in North Carolina are applauding state lawmakers after passing a groundbreaking bill yesterday . Governor Pat McCrory says he plans to sign into law a bill that allows for medical use of cannabidiol oil for the treatment of seizures disorders, particularly those that seem to afflict children. Cannabidiol oil is derived from a […]
GW Pharmaceuticals, a bio-pharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from its cannabinoid product platform, announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted their product, Epidiolex, Fast Track designation in the treatment of Dravet syndrome, a rare and catastrophic treatment-resistant form of childhood epilepsy. FDA’s Fast Track program facilitates the […]
As RayAnn Moseley, a child who suffers from intractable epilepsy, and her parents watched and waited, the Florida Senate passed a bill 36-3 to allow a limited strain of medical cannabis to be legalized in Florida. The chamber immediately sent the so-called “Charlotte’s Web” bill to the House, where its fate remains uncertain as leaders there […]
Mississippi Governor, Phil Bryant, has signed a bill to legalize a marijuana extract to be used as medicine under tightly controlled circumstances. The bill will become law July 1. Gov. Bryant signed the bill after waiting for the Bureau of Narcotics to assure him that the oil can’t be used to produce a high. The medicine will be used […]
The future of medical marijuana in Utah is officially in Gov. Gary Herbert’s hands after the Senate unanimously passed the ninth draft of House Bill 105. If the governor signs, the bill will initiate a 2-year trial period for regulated use of a highly therapeutic, non-psychotropic cannabis oil in the treatment of childhood epilepsy. Read […]
Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s second medical marijuana documentary, “Weed 2: Cannabis Madness”, focuses on the Wilsons, a family who recently moved from New Jersey to Colorado in pursuit of effective treatment for their daughter’s epilepsy. The Wilsons are an example of the many families who Dr. Gupta says are “trapped in the middle of the politics […]