Marijuana Expected to be Rescheduled Federally by the Fall
Recently the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for the first time ever, gave approval to a marijuana-based medicine. The company behind the medicine now says he expects the government to reschedule cannabis within 90 days.
“We expect to make Epidiolex available to U.S. patients this fall, following rescheduling which is expected to occur within 90 days of FDA approval,” said GW Pharmarceuticals’ CEO Justin Grover in a recent earnings call. “We have been building commercial inventory in recent months and are in a position to ship product into the U.S. supply chain, once rescheduling is complete.”
In June, Epidiolex became the first marijuana-derived medicine to ever be approved by the FDA. According to Grover, roughly 1,200 people in other countries are currently receiving Epidiolex, mostly for Lennox-Gastraut and Dravet Syndromes.
If rescheduling really does occur within 90 days of the FDA’s approval of Epidiolex, the change should happen by the end of September. The most likely scenario is that marijuana will be shifted to schedule 2, which means it’s still highly regulated but does have some medical value. Another possibility is that marijuana-derived CBD is rescheduled rather than marijuana as a whole, which would be a positive development, but less so.
Victor
From what I have found, and I have been searching and reading available info. CBD was not previously listed or classified, only more broadly included as a prohibited marijuana extract. The DEA has conveniently added the CBD to the list, specifically, to be able to reclassify only that compound. However, the THC has already been reclassified by DEA and FDA approved as class 2 and class 3. Yet the government continues to maintain the outrageous prohibition and criminal denial of medical benefit of marijuana, without any qualified justification.
Kevin
GW pharma is starting epidiolix at $35,000 to $28,000 a year. No one can pay that.
R. M. Sweatman
Unfortunately, I am not surprised. I figured that’s how it would work.
Jacci Vanden Hout
To remove the class 1 cannibas is in along with cocain and heroin would be a huge start. Why can’t the USA get it together and legalize it as Canada has just done. I so over the back and forth with each state fighting to get it legalizedone but the federal government says it’s a major crime. I live in Federal Housing and as I’ll as I am I can’t use it in my own home.
Anonymous
The gov should be ashamed taking something natural from us and giving us poison or synthetic stuff
Jo
Ashamed the government!?! Not likely when they get it all figured out in Arkansas and start letting us use it for medical reasons they will Tax old Billy hell as much as they can. Our cigarette tax makes a 5 dollar and 15 cent pack of smokes 5dollars and 75 cents
Rosa lee
It was growing naturally for a very good purpose.