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First FDA approved cannabis-based drug now available by prescription
The first cannabis-derived medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration is now available by prescription in every state, according to its manufacturer.
Epidiolex, manufactured by GW Pharmaceuticals, is intended to treat seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy that begin in childhood. The drug is made of cannabidiol (CBD), a component of marijuana that doesn't give users a high.
"Because these patients have historically not responded well to available seizure medications, there has been a dire need for new therapies that aim to reduce the frequency and impact of seizures," Justin Gover, CEO of GW Pharmaceuticals, said in a statement.
From the DEA website:
Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are: heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Thursday November 01 2018, @08:06PM (14 children)
How dare you try to poke holes in the official story by quoting the DEA's own stupid words!
Wow, they even threw peyote in the list of examples. I'll look forward to it being considered medicine (even if only for mental/spiritual purposes) and taken off Schedule 1 in 2050.
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(Score: 3, Interesting) by Thexalon on Thursday November 01 2018, @08:15PM (9 children)
I also find it odd that they're specifically seeking to prevent people from cannabis, but aren't doing anything to avoid people getting high from prescription opioids. Why, it's almost like they are more interested in making other people's lives miserable than they are in protecting their health!
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday November 01 2018, @09:10PM (8 children)
I appreciate where you're coming from, but I'm not sure it's accurate. My buddy got a prescription for Percocet in the weeks before he went to surgery, and he couldn't even get it filled on the day he got it, even after driving to several pharmacies. Every pharmacy was conveniently out of stock. I think he eventually got a hold of it, but didn't end up using it (he was wary of the side effects).
DEA people have been complaining [johnsoncitypress.com] in recent years [soylentnews.org] about the agency's hands being tied when it comes to prescription opioids. Illicit use of prescription opioids is one of the DEA's top concerns [dea.gov].
However, an inability to get prescription opioids could very well lead someone to seek out cheap (and potentially adulterated) heroin. Is preventing people from getting high ever the best strategy?
President Trump Declares the Opioid Crisis a National Emergency [soylentnews.org]
Opioid Crisis Official; Insys Therapeutics Billionaire Founder Charged; Walgreens Stocks Narcan [soylentnews.org]
Senate Investigators Google Their Way to $766 Million of Fentanyl [soylentnews.org]
"Synthetic Opioids" Now Kill More People than Prescription Opioids in the U.S. [soylentnews.org]
Preferably, some would-be opioid users could try the EVUL devil's lettuce known as cannabis instead [soylentnews.org] (not saying that it will work for all people in need of a painkiller, but it is a safe alternative). But here's one of the most aggravating stories we've ever had to run:
Opioid Commission Drops the Ball, Demonizes Cannabis [soylentnews.org]
If it wasn't for Senator Cory Gardner, we may have seen broader Administration action against cannabis:
President Trump Promises to Support State Legalization of Cannabis; Boehner Evolves [soylentnews.org]
However, maybe a federal govt. vs. states confrontation is overdue. People will have to get pissed off before anything can get fixed (the current untenable situation is like a Band-Aid on the problem). Congress has shown that they are not willing to move on this issue, despite majority support for cannabis legalization, including among Republicans [soylentnews.org]. Well, Chuck Schumer and other Democrats have indicated that they will support legalization, but they are highly unlikely to win the Senate. I don't expect them to strike a compromise/deal on the issue either. How about trading cannabis legalization for fully funding The Wall? Both actions could stop a lot of border drug shipments very quickly.
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(Score: 2, Interesting) by Sulla on Thursday November 01 2018, @09:26PM (7 children)
The problem is that if they traded cannabis legalization for the wall the Democrats lose the ability to run on how the Republicans won't legalize cannabis and the Republicans lose the ability to run on how the Democrats won't pay for the wall.
In general it appears that Republicans (at least the ones I interact with) are becoming more libertarian on the issue and the fiscal conservative is overtaking the religious fundamentalist when it comes to potential delicious tax revenues. Although I am coming across more and more people that voted for legalization but now that they have to smell people growing plants continuously and smell pot smoke every night are beginning to regret their vote. But in general I think opposition is falling.
I want the blue states to realize that "State's Rights" don't just mean "slavery" but also mean environmental policy, drug policy, prison/crime reform, taxation, etc.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday November 01 2018, @09:39PM (3 children)
True. Too bad.
It will be a fun two years with a Democratic House and Republican Senate.
Do the fresh plants themselves, grown indoors, have a strong smell? I seriously don't know. 😂🚬
Cannabis smoke smells a lot better than cigarette smoke to me. Or the ubiquitous car exhaust fumes (in (sub)urban areas) that are probably shaving down our lifespans. Definitely a petty reason to oppose cannabis.
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(Score: 1) by Sulla on Thursday November 01 2018, @10:46PM
I have absolutely no idea. Driving around town with your windows down you hit definite zones where it smells heavily of pot from people growing it in their backyards. Just because I don't like the smell of pot does not mean I prefer cigarettes. There seems to be a constant noticeable change in the ambient smell where I live.
I'm pretty libertarian so like do what you want, but I still find it annoying because I don't like the smell. I think that might be the issue for the older conservatives. The ad campaigns surrounding the whole thing were that nothing would change, everythings fine, you won't even notice it. These same people voted for it because why not its not hurting anyone and are now dealing with the smell everywhere. I can get why they are mad without wanting to ban it again.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 01 2018, @11:06PM (1 child)
There isn't much of a smell until about half way into the flowering phase. Then it quickly becomes noticeable in the grow area. Flowering can take anywhere from 8 to 14 weeks depending on the strain and the grower's preference for THC/CBN ratio. (CBD tends to stay fairly constant I'm told once in the harvest window.)
I suppose that a commercial grow op would become noticeable from outside the building. I'm having trouble imagining personal use growers being a nuisance. Mostly it's just Cannabis Derangement Syndrome (see related illnesses like wifi allergies). I can think of a lot worse smells that are way more common. It's nothing compared to a farm that's spraying manure.
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Friday November 02 2018, @06:44PM
...but that generally would not be allowed in residential areas, precisely because people don't want to have to smell it all the time.
I think the main issue here though is the dubious legality of all of this. People are still trying to hide it in their bedrooms or closets so they don't get raided by the feds. They can't put their money in the bank either, which makes it much harder to buy a big commercial warehouse on the outskirts of town. I'd imagine a lot of companies wouldn't want to rent to them either. Probably they need some better regulations about zoning for commercial or other larger grow ops, but if they did that right now it would just be giving the feds a big bullseye where to raid and thereby take away the state's income as well as pissing off the residents who voted for legalization...
(Score: 2) by NewNic on Thursday November 01 2018, @09:42PM
The Democrats don't need a trade here. Instead, they should use it as a wedge issue. Support legislation to make allow states to regulate it themselves. Mostly red states that don't like cannabis don't have to do anything and it stays legal, mostly blue states that have legalized and regulated it become the only regulation on cannabis in that state.
Most voters, including Republican voters, want legalization.
It's a great wedge issue and the Democrats are fools for not pushing it hard.
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Friday November 02 2018, @01:53AM
My impression, as someone who's not affiliated with either major party, is that the Republicans know that saying their open to it is winning politics, but once in office do everything they can to make it de facto still illegal because they like having the legal right to lock up hippies and black people.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by archfeld on Friday November 02 2018, @07:20PM
It's not a partisan thing. Both parties have had chances to push for legalization or decriminalization, and have failed miserably, succumbing to the bribes of the fustilugs in the pharmaceutical industry. The reason behind the continued support of opioids, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and such is the profit for big pharma. As for the smell of pot, the law in California has a specific clause addressing odor and forbidding offense to surrounding areas and it does have a strong odor but you will find that most smokers grow to quickly appreciate 'skunk' smelling bud as a sign of green goodness.
For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge
(Score: 3, Interesting) by ikanreed on Thursday November 01 2018, @08:54PM (1 child)
In truth, the problem is the whole schedule system in the first place. Any biologically active substance has hypothetical medical applications. We fucking inject people with one of the strongest toxic substances in the planet to make them less wrinkly.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 02 2018, @12:32PM
What? Mt. Dew works on wrinkles?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 01 2018, @09:10PM (1 child)
We can't allow drugs that may safely alleviate childbirth pain. The Queen of England can have her privates desensitized by the application of an amount of crushed weed but ordinary plebs must suffer or kneel before the altar of big pharma
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday November 01 2018, @09:42PM
https://mistakinghistories.wordpress.com/2017/08/29/queen-victorias-cannabis-habit-again/ [wordpress.com]
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