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FDA Approves Dronabinol: A Synthetic Liquid Weed for Patients

FDA Approves Dronabinol: A Synthetic Liquid Weed for Patients

Health

FDA Approves Dronabinol: A Synthetic Liquid Weed for Patients

FDA Approves Dronabinol Synthetic Liquid Weed

A liquid form of synthetic marijuana was recently approved by the FDA. The new synthetic THC product called Dronabinol is being used to treat ailments. Dronabinol is being sold under the Syndros brand name. According to the Controlled Substance Act, it’s a schedule III drug which means it has medicinal benefits and is unlikely to be abused. Since the FDA’s approval there have already been over 9,500 prescriptions filled for Dronabinol. It is apparently just the generic version of Marinol which has been available to patients since its approval in 1985.

Did the FDA just approve liquid K2?

Dronabinol is different from K2 or Spice which is another more harmful form of synthetic marijuana. It is a schedule III  drug but K2 is now considered a schedule I drug. This means K2 has no medicinal value and a higher potential for abuse than Dronabinol so the two drugs are not that similar even though both are considered synthetic forms of marijuana. K2 is smoked whereas Dronabinol is just a liquid filled capsule for patients to swallow.

FDA Approves Dronabinol: A Synthetic Liquid Weed for Patients

Syndros

Why did the FDA decide to approve a synthetic form of marijuana?

The FDA approving Dronabinol was an effort to provide patients with some of the benefits associated with traditional marijuana without the harsh penalties. By receiving a prescription, patients can achieve a level of legal acceptability under federal law. Marinol has been used to stimulate appetite in AIDS. It has also been used by patients to relieve the nausea and vomiting that may occur after cancer treatment. However, some doctors like Dr. William Eidelman believes his patients would benefit from traditional marijuana flowers but the federal status prevents him from writing a prescription for marijuana flowers. For now the best doctors like Dr. Eidelman can do for their patients who would benefit from traditional marijuana is to prescribe them Dronabinol or Marinol.

Does Dronabinol have all the benefits that traditional cannabis plants do? 

Doctors like Perry Solomon believe synthetic THC products like Syndros do not have all the benefits that a whole cannabis flower would. Dr. Solomon claims that drugs like Dronabinol do not provide patients with the “entourage effect.” The entourage effect is basically added medicinal benefits from the combination of chemicals within cannabis plants. Dr. Solomon would add that, most “patients like having the full spectrum of the effect of the medication.” Therefore, Dronabinol does not contain all the benefits that a full cannabis plant would provide to patients.

The Final Hit

So, Dronabinol is really just medicine’s way of working around politics for the time being. It does not seem to provide patients with critical conditions like AIDS and cancer with as much relief as smoking a joint would. It’s just currently the best doctors can do for their patients who would benefit from medicinal marijuana while saving themselves from prosecution. Hopefully, legal medical marijuana will sweep the other half of the nation and we can see an end to the production of synthetic marijuana products. It’s like they say, there’s nothing better than the real thing.

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