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CBD could soon be prescribed in Colorado pharmacies

A new bill would give GW Pharma a lane to sell Epidiolex in Colorado, but hemp growers worry it paves a “superhighway” to monopoly

Alicia Wallace The Cannabist
GW Pharmaceuticals' Epidiolex, a medicine made from cannabis containing cannabidiol (CBD), is shown in New York. According to a study published in May 2017 by the New England Journal of Medicine, the medicine cut seizures in kids with a severe form of epilepsy, which strengthens the case for more research into possible health benefits of cannabis.
Kathy Young, Associated Press

Cannabidiol is available in Colorado health food stores, but the state’s marijuana laws prevent the cannabis compound from being sold in pharmacies.

A bill moving through the Statehouse would open the doors for GW Pharmaceuticals’ CBD-centric Epidiolex drug to be prescribed and sold in pharmacies across the state.

A House committee passed the “Food and Drug Administration Cannabidiol Drug Use” late Tuesday in a 9-0 vote. The unanimous approval of House Bill 1187 followed three hours of public comments and debate that saw amendments added to address concerns raised by the hemp and marijuana industries.

The bill’s backers — Greenwich Biosciences, GW’s U.S. subsidiary — say the provisions would create a legal pathway for doctors to prescribe Epidiolex to patients if the novel cannabis-derived drug is green-lighted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That decision that could be announced as early as June, according to the company.

“We in no way intend to limit or affect access to any marijuana, recreational or medical, or any hemp products licensed in Colorado,” GW spokeswoman Jessica Wolfe told the House Public Health Care & Human Services Committee on Tuesday.

Click here to read the full story from The Cannabist. 


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