NY Times reported recently a FDA advisory panel unanimously recommended approval of an epilepsy medication made with CBD, an ingredient found in marijuana. If the recommendation is followed, Epidiolex would be the first cannabis-derived prescription medicine available in the US.
Cannabidiol is one of the chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant, but it does not contain THC, the property that make people ‘high’. This is the differentiating factor that makes it different from the “medical marijuana” allowed by a number of states, in which patients are legally authorized to smoke or ingest marijuana to treat severe pain, anxiety, PTSD, nausea and other ailments.
There are several drugs on the market that are derived from synthetic versions of THC and other chemicals of the cannabis plant, and are generally used to ease nausea in cancer patients, and to help AIDS patients avoid weight loss.