24
Are Synthetic Cannabinoid Medications as Effective as Cannabis?
Cesamet and Marinol have been around for decades, but more recently, two additional medications have been (or are on their way to being) FDA-approved. These are purified but derived from Cannabis, and include:
w Epidiolex – Epidiolex contains CBD, a naturally occurring cannabinoid in marijuana. However, Epidiolex isolates CBD from the dozens of other cannabinoids which are also present in marijuana. Epidiolex is made by GW Pharmaceuticals, which describes this medication as “a liquid formulation of pure plant-derived Cannabidiol (CBD) as a treatment for various orphan pediatric epilepsy syndromes.” In other words, Epidiolex is a mouth spray for children with very rare genetic causes of epilepsy – not common types of epilepsy.
w Sativex – Sativex is also made by GW Pharmaceuticals, which calls the product “an oramucosal spray of a formulated extract of the [C]annabis sativa plant that contains the principal cannabinoids THC and CBD as well as specific minor cannabinoids and other non-cannabinoid components.” This oral spray is meant to relieve muscle spasticity (stiffness and lack of control) related to multiple sclerosis (MS).
While these medications can be somewhat effective – and some, like Epidiolex, have the benefit of treating children without causing the “high” produced by ingesting or inhaling Cannabis – they suffer from an absence of “the entourage effect,” which is a term describing the combined effects of all cannabinoids working together to relieve symptoms. As I mentioned earlier, Cannabis