FDA approves the first marijuana-based drug

It’s different from medical marijuana. This is the first time a federal agency has approved actual components of marijuana in a prescription drug.

For decades, researchers have hoped that marijuana, which the US federal law currently prohibits, will one day be approved to treat a variety of conditions like glaucoma, cancer, and multiple sclerosis.

Known as Epidiolex, the strawberry-flavoured syrup is proven to reduce seizures associated with two rare forms of epilepsy — Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes — in patients as young as 2 years old.

Epidolex does not intoxicate patients, it has been tested and will be regulated for potency with reliable dosing directions. It’s poised to be much safer than OTC alternatives.

The Epidiolex’s possible side effects — like sleepiness, mood changes, and more — have been studied and documented so patients know what to expect.

“This is an important medical advance,” writes FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, in a statement in which he calls for more sound research on the contentious active ingredient. “But it’s also important to note that this is not an approval of marijuana or all of its components. This is the approval of one specific CBD medication for a specific use.”

Cosmopolitan