IS BIG PHARMA WORRIED ABOUT MEDICAL CANNABIS
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Big Pharma Shaking in Their Boots as 80% of Cannabis Users Give Up Prescriptions Pills for Pot
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/big-pharma-shaking-boots-80-cannabis-users-give-prescriptions-pills-pot/#PBDw7B9vwZkHa76G.99
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/big-pharma-shaking-boots-80-cannabis-users-give-prescriptions-pills-pot/#PBDw7B9vwZkHa76G.99
The Big Pharma Marijuana Scam of 2015
BY MIKE ADAMS · WED DEC 31, 2014
With efforts to legalize medical marijuana across the United States having been largely successful in recent years, there is speculation that the federal government will soon make a move, possibly in 2015, to reschedule cannabis in an effort to allow a variety of herb-based medicines to find their place in America’s billion dollar pharmaceutical market. Unfortunately, while proponents of pot reform have envisioned a time when Uncle Sam simply steps up to the podium of prohibition to eliminate the ban on marijuana altogether, policy experts predict the government is currently plotting to ream the nation with one of its usual scams by which it will reschedule cannabis in a manner that benefits the drug corporations.
GW Pharmaceuticals, Britain’s Big Pharma of Marijuana, has been in the United States for most of 2014 conducting clinical trials on its marijuana-based epilepsy medicine, Epidiolex; while the company is expected to receive approval from the Federal Drug Administration to begin clinical trails on its most popular cannabis, cancer-drug, Sativex, before the end of the year. Although these medications come with the stereotypical names often associated with advanced drug science, in reality they are nothing more than bottled combinations of THC and CBD, the two most common cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant.
Even though the federal government considers marijuana a Schedule I controlled substance with no medicinal value, the FDA is eager to work with the kingpins at GW Pharmaceuticals to sell cannabis medicine to sick Americans. Yet, nationwide legalization of the herb for this purpose appears to make the congressional stomach churn. So what gives?
Some believe Uncle Sam has embraced GW Pharmaceuticals because the drug company has the necessary capital needed to obtain FDA approval, while others argue a corporate version of legal marijuana is simply easier for the feds to understand because it is packaged with familiarity – corporations led by crisp haircuts and Armani suits, not dreadlocks and tie-dyed T-shirts.
Nevertheless, it would appear as though the federal government fully intends to legalize medical marijuana on a national level in 2015 without acknowledging the many statewide programs already in place and without legalizing it, under similar provisions, in states where legislation of this type has not yet been passed. Instead, the United States will likely enact a process similar to what was done nearly 30 years ago, during the height of the AIDS scare, when the Drug Enforcement Administration rescheduled a synthetic THC pill called Marinol. Essentially, in the case of the AbbVie pharmaceutical company, which manufactures the pot pill, the DEA cleverly classified the drug a Schedule III substance without being forced to reschedule the cannabis plant.
All of the evidence points towards the federal government employing the same types of tactics to push GW Pharmaceutical’s Epidiolex and Sativex into the mainstream drug market – giving the drugs a Schedule II or III classification at the time of final approval. And while some believe this medicine will be an advantage for a large number of patients currently without access to raw, medicinal cannabis, it is predicted the annual cost of these pharmaceuticals varieties will be in the tens of thousands.
BY MIKE ADAMS · WED DEC 31, 2014
With efforts to legalize medical marijuana across the United States having been largely successful in recent years, there is speculation that the federal government will soon make a move, possibly in 2015, to reschedule cannabis in an effort to allow a variety of herb-based medicines to find their place in America’s billion dollar pharmaceutical market. Unfortunately, while proponents of pot reform have envisioned a time when Uncle Sam simply steps up to the podium of prohibition to eliminate the ban on marijuana altogether, policy experts predict the government is currently plotting to ream the nation with one of its usual scams by which it will reschedule cannabis in a manner that benefits the drug corporations.
GW Pharmaceuticals, Britain’s Big Pharma of Marijuana, has been in the United States for most of 2014 conducting clinical trials on its marijuana-based epilepsy medicine, Epidiolex; while the company is expected to receive approval from the Federal Drug Administration to begin clinical trails on its most popular cannabis, cancer-drug, Sativex, before the end of the year. Although these medications come with the stereotypical names often associated with advanced drug science, in reality they are nothing more than bottled combinations of THC and CBD, the two most common cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant.
Even though the federal government considers marijuana a Schedule I controlled substance with no medicinal value, the FDA is eager to work with the kingpins at GW Pharmaceuticals to sell cannabis medicine to sick Americans. Yet, nationwide legalization of the herb for this purpose appears to make the congressional stomach churn. So what gives?
Some believe Uncle Sam has embraced GW Pharmaceuticals because the drug company has the necessary capital needed to obtain FDA approval, while others argue a corporate version of legal marijuana is simply easier for the feds to understand because it is packaged with familiarity – corporations led by crisp haircuts and Armani suits, not dreadlocks and tie-dyed T-shirts.
Nevertheless, it would appear as though the federal government fully intends to legalize medical marijuana on a national level in 2015 without acknowledging the many statewide programs already in place and without legalizing it, under similar provisions, in states where legislation of this type has not yet been passed. Instead, the United States will likely enact a process similar to what was done nearly 30 years ago, during the height of the AIDS scare, when the Drug Enforcement Administration rescheduled a synthetic THC pill called Marinol. Essentially, in the case of the AbbVie pharmaceutical company, which manufactures the pot pill, the DEA cleverly classified the drug a Schedule III substance without being forced to reschedule the cannabis plant.
All of the evidence points towards the federal government employing the same types of tactics to push GW Pharmaceutical’s Epidiolex and Sativex into the mainstream drug market – giving the drugs a Schedule II or III classification at the time of final approval. And while some believe this medicine will be an advantage for a large number of patients currently without access to raw, medicinal cannabis, it is predicted the annual cost of these pharmaceuticals varieties will be in the tens of thousands.
The Pharmaceutical Industry Is About To Release A Marijuana Plant Product In The U.S.
Posted by Johnny Green at 8:30 AM on August 16, 2015Marijuana Business News, Medical Marijuana Policy
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A synthetic pharmaceutical, Marinol, was approved by the FDA in 1985. It was the pharmaceutical industry’s answer to people that wanted to use medical marijuana legally. For a variety of reasons, Marinol does not help that many people. No synthetic form of marijuana will ever be as good as a medicine that is derived from the whole marijuana plant, as any patient will tell you. The pharmaceutical industry knows this, which is why they have been scrambling to get a product to the market that is derived from the cannabis plant, and not a synthetic product that is meant to mimic the cannabis plant.
Despite objections from long time medical marijuana activists, it appears that some of our worst fears will become a reality as soon as early 2016. Per the Huffington Post:
Look for the first naturally-derived, Big Pharma-produced cannabis product to be on the market by the first half of 2016, perhaps even sooner.
Epidiolex is a liquid formulation of pure, plant-derived cannabidiol (CBD) manufactured by the British company, G.W. Pharmaceuticals. It is currently on the FDA Fast Track and has entered its final Phase 3 study for pediatric epilepsy disorders such as Dravet’s and Lennox-Gastaut’s syndromes withresults scheduled for the first quarter of 2016.
Barring an unlikely catastrophic finding, there are plenty of signs that Epidiolex will breeze through this final stage and will thus have cleared the FDA’s testing requirements. For any other drug the remaining details would be purely administrative but Epidiolex is derived from cannabis and that puts a few more hurdles in the way before marketing can begin. There are, however, plenty of signs that government officials are literally paving the way for this new player.
Among the most significant occurred on June 24, 2015. Before a packed hearing room, the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, established in 1985 to “expand international cooperation against drug abuse and narcotics trafficking” took on the decidedly domestic issue of what to do about medical cannabis. The meeting was chaired by two unlikely medical cannabis proponents, Senators Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
On one hand, I like to see patients getting relief. On the other hand, I do not trust the pharmaceutical industry, which is in the business of getting people to buy medicine, and not the business of helping people feel better so that they no longer need to buy pharmaceutical products. I have always felt that the pharmaceutical industry has no place in the medical marijuana world. Once this product is available nationwide, I think we will see a halt to non-CBD medical marijuana legislation, and we will hear a lot of politicians say something like, ‘Medical marijuana? Yeah, we already handled that. go get some Epidiolex.’ That’s what they have done for Marinol for so long, and it has always frustrated me. I think it’s time for activists to double down on their efforts and get out in front of this new product. We need to push state legislatures to legalize REAL medical marijuana in states that don’t already have it. Otherwise if we don’t, we will be left with choosing Epidiolex, or breaking the law to obtain raw cannabis.
Posted by Johnny Green at 8:30 AM on August 16, 2015Marijuana Business News, Medical Marijuana Policy
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Google+
A synthetic pharmaceutical, Marinol, was approved by the FDA in 1985. It was the pharmaceutical industry’s answer to people that wanted to use medical marijuana legally. For a variety of reasons, Marinol does not help that many people. No synthetic form of marijuana will ever be as good as a medicine that is derived from the whole marijuana plant, as any patient will tell you. The pharmaceutical industry knows this, which is why they have been scrambling to get a product to the market that is derived from the cannabis plant, and not a synthetic product that is meant to mimic the cannabis plant.Despite objections from long time medical marijuana activists, it appears that some of our worst fears will become a reality as soon as early 2016. Per the Huffington Post:
Look for the first naturally-derived, Big Pharma-produced cannabis product to be on the market by the first half of 2016, perhaps even sooner.
Epidiolex is a liquid formulation of pure, plant-derived cannabidiol (CBD) manufactured by the British company, G.W. Pharmaceuticals. It is currently on the FDA Fast Track and has entered its final Phase 3 study for pediatric epilepsy disorders such as Dravet’s and Lennox-Gastaut’s syndromes withresults scheduled for the first quarter of 2016.
Barring an unlikely catastrophic finding, there are plenty of signs that Epidiolex will breeze through this final stage and will thus have cleared the FDA’s testing requirements. For any other drug the remaining details would be purely administrative but Epidiolex is derived from cannabis and that puts a few more hurdles in the way before marketing can begin. There are, however, plenty of signs that government officials are literally paving the way for this new player.
Among the most significant occurred on June 24, 2015. Before a packed hearing room, the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, established in 1985 to “expand international cooperation against drug abuse and narcotics trafficking” took on the decidedly domestic issue of what to do about medical cannabis. The meeting was chaired by two unlikely medical cannabis proponents, Senators Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
On one hand, I like to see patients getting relief. On the other hand, I do not trust the pharmaceutical industry, which is in the business of getting people to buy medicine, and not the business of helping people feel better so that they no longer need to buy pharmaceutical products. I have always felt that the pharmaceutical industry has no place in the medical marijuana world. Once this product is available nationwide, I think we will see a halt to non-CBD medical marijuana legislation, and we will hear a lot of politicians say something like, ‘Medical marijuana? Yeah, we already handled that. go get some Epidiolex.’ That’s what they have done for Marinol for so long, and it has always frustrated me. I think it’s time for activists to double down on their efforts and get out in front of this new product. We need to push state legislatures to legalize REAL medical marijuana in states that don’t already have it. Otherwise if we don’t, we will be left with choosing Epidiolex, or breaking the law to obtain raw cannabis.
VIANARCHRIS
Well-Known Member
Hmm...not gonna work in Canada. The courts just said we have a right to grow our own. I can see doctors pushing pot pills to benefit big pharma, but it is still the patients right to choose the form of pot he consumes. Health Canada has maintained for years the cannabis has no medicinal value, it would awkward for them to suddenly do a 180. I have no doubt big pharma will try to get their share of the market, but they will be fighting an uphill battle with the personal / medical grower.
doingdishes
Well-Known Member
they want to make synthetic THC...why?? the natural stuff works great.
oh yeah, they can make it faster if it's only chemicals instead of natural. way to think Pharma. why fix what ain't broke?
oh yeah, they can make it faster if it's only chemicals instead of natural. way to think Pharma. why fix what ain't broke?
CalyxCrusher
Well-Known Member
They can patent it, that's the end game
Last edited:
synthetic will definitely KILL!
Brian Savage
Well-Known Member
THC is not a solo artist, its just a member in the band.
TheRealDman
Well-Known Member
I think the US gov already holds like 3 cannabis patents...for the med end too I believe. Crazy shit!
doingdishes
Well-Known Member
but it has no medicinal value.....
them having that stance AND a patent shows their double talk
OGEvilgenius
Well-Known Member
Synethic means patent as well. And it's hard to make the proper chemical actually. If you know anything about organic chemistry there are different variations of the same chemical make up. It's difficult to reproduce the actual makeup and AFAIK it's a big reason synthetics fail, despite having the same base molecules, they are in a different order and it can be a dramatic difference in how your body responds too. Some chemicals sister chemicals will kill you, whereas the the other side will save your life.
Truth is those in power want to control us under a totalitarian nightmare. That's why we have smart meters. That's why we're being spied on constantly. That's why there's a huge push to eliminate cash completely. I fully expect to see smart water meters implemented in the not distant future. We won't even be able to decide when the toilet gets flushed most likely...
Hard to get the right spin on the electrons in the lab or something similar...