Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Sunday December 17 2017, @12:34AM   Printer-friendly
from the WHO? dept.

The Schedule I status of cannabis and component compounds like cannabidiol (CBD) is being undermined yet again:

The US Drug Enforcement Administration has long held that the non-psychoactive component of marijuana, cannabidiol, is a schedule I drug. That is, a drug that has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. But according to a preliminary report embraced by the World Health Organization this week, the DEA's long held stance is tripping.

In a preliminary report last month, the WHO's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence concluded—and WHO agreed—that clinical and pre-clinical studies of CBD show no evidence of a potential for users to abuse the drug or suffer any harms. Moreover, the experts found plenty of inklings that CBD has medical benefits, particularly for treating epilepsy. In its conclusion, the ECDD declared that the current data "does not justify scheduling of cannabidiol."

The ECDD's report is just a first glance, however. The committee, which is generally tasked with assessing which drugs should be internationally controlled (scheduled) and how, will take a more extensive look in May of 2018. Then, it will review cannabis overall, as well as other cannabis compounds.

CBD has shown promise in a trial as a treatment for psychosis:

An ingredient in cannabis called cannabidiol or CBD has shown promise in a clinical trial as a potential new treatment for psychosis, scientists said on Friday. Scientists conducted a small trial of people with psychosis and found patients treated with CBD had lower levels of psychotic symptoms than those who received a placebo. Psychosis is characterized by paranoia and hallucinations.

[...] In the trial, 88 patients with psychosis received either CBD or placebo for six weeks, alongside their existing antipsychotic medication. Beforehand and afterwards, the scientists assessed symptoms, functioning and cognitive performance, and the patients' psychiatrists rated their overall condition overall. "The study indicated that CBD may be effective in psychosis: patients treated with CBD showed a significant reduction in symptoms, and their treating psychiatrists rated them as having improved overall," said Philip McGuire, who co-led the trial.

Also at The Conversation.

Cannabidiol (CBD) as an Adjunctive Therapy in Schizophrenia: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial (DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17030325) (DX)


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Sunday December 17 2017, @04:48PM (1 child)

    by hemocyanin (186) on Sunday December 17 2017, @04:48PM (#611013) Journal

    Except the article is about CBD, not THC -- you can buy pot that is almost exclusively CBD with only a trace of THC and if it was processed, the THC could probably be removed completely.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday December 17 2017, @06:57PM

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Sunday December 17 2017, @06:57PM (#611040) Journal

    1. That's a quote from the article.
    2. I think most of us know that. The point was to respond to the dumb AC.

    --
    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]