Administration has revealed to investors the cost of the drug: $32,500 per year. This is reportedly on the low-end of original estimates between $30,000 and $60,000. Epidiolex, made with CBD and used to treat rare forms of childhood epilepsy, is said to be priced competitively with other epilepsy drugs on the market. This, however, is not other epilepsy drugs.

One of the reasons, among many, that marijuana has become so popular for medicinal use is that it is relatively inexpensive compared to other treatments, even without the help of insurance companies to cover the costs. Some markup by pharmaceutical companies is to be expected to cover testing, research, and ensure consistency and purity of the product. The disparity between cost and price in this instance seems specifically designed to prey on desperate families already prepared to pay top dollar to help their children. In fact, the price was set with the consultation of insurance companies, according to a Business Insider report.

Certainly this is not outside the realm of reason in the pharmaceutical industry. Marking up the price of medicine is business as usual. It is dubious, however, that pharmaceutical companies have been lobbying so strongly against marijuana legalization until they figured out how to personally benefit. The final cost of the drug after insurance will be far less, with estimates of less than $200 a month for patients. Many do not have the luxury of insurance, though, and will turn to black market sources or, in states where marijuana is legal, the CBD vials on dispensary shelves. The manufacturer of Epidiolex touts that their product is pharmaceutical-grade, but many will not have any choice but to self medicate with the products that are currently available.

Californians have been doing so for more than 20 years, when medical marijuana was first legalized in the state in 1996. In states where home cultivation is legal, many are learning the plant in their house is a merciful replacement for far more expensive (and dangerous) pain medications, like opioids. This is a threat to the pharmaceutical companies who profit handsomely from dependence on expensive, complicated medications that could not possibly be made in home. It is clear why they have fought against medical marijuana for so long.

Our Los Angeles medical cannabis lawyers are keeping a close eye on these developments. Big Pharma has used its influence to keep medical marijuana at bay for years. It is unclear what pharmaceutical companies will do to maintain their foothold in the marijuana marketplace once they enter. Marijuana is almost certainly going to be rescheduled at the federal level to allow for doctors to start prescribing Epidiolex. Schedule I narcotics, such as marijuana at current, allegedly hold no medicinal value, and therefore are prohibited even for prescriptions. Schedules 2, 3, 4 and 5 each hold different levels of restrictiveness. Our experienced attorneys will be on hand to answer the numerous questions about how such a rescheduling could affect your business and how to remain competitive once major pharmaceutical companies enter the game. The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients, defendants, workers and those facing criminal marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:

Epidiolex, First Cannabis Medicine Approved by the FDA, Will Cost $32,500 a Year, Aug. 10. 2018, By Chris Moore, Merry Jane

More Blog Entries:

FDA Approval Could Change Everything for Medical Marijuana, July 1, 2018, Cannabis Law Group

James, a running back, injured his ankle during a football game in 2013. According to a CNN report, he was prescribed opioid painkillers. In short order (as so often happens) he became dependent on the pills. He became aware that an addiction was forming and wanted something safer to ease the pain.

After some research, he concluded marijuana was truly the best option – to ease the pain, end his addiction and maintain his physical prowess. James had some reservations about this decision, witnessing the way drug addiction in general harmed his family and his childhood communities. But, like a majority of Americans, he soon learned that cannabis does not belong in the same category as other street drugs at all, and decided to take the leap.

The NFL, unfortunately still takes a hard-line stance with marijuana use by players, who are drug-tested regularly. (Yet League officials see no problem whatsoever with players consuming dangerous opioid pain relievers.) CNN points to to a study from Drug and Alcohol Dependence, in which over half of ex-NFL players surveyed said they used opioids, with 71 percent of them admitting they misused them. Support for prescription painkillers continues, despite many leaders – President Trump included – have declared opioid addiction an epidemic. When it comes to medical marijuana, though, which can be a safe, effective, and non-habit forming treatment under proper medical guidance, this is where NFL leaders choose their line in the sand.

As our Los Angeles medical marijuana lawyers can explain, the NFL is sticking by Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 812, which categorizes marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic. That means the federal government has passed judgment that cannabis has no medical benefits, is dangerous, and is addictive. Conveniently for marijuana naysayers, this Schedule I classification makes it nearly impossible for U.S. scientists to conduct studies to prove otherwise. Meanwhile, other countries, such as Israel, are leading the way in medical marijuana research, including a study that demonstrate how the drug can be a safer alternative to opioids. The Schedule I classification puts marijuana in the same category as heroin, which is a total farce. Ironically (and infuriatingly), heroin has far more in common with many legal painkillers, as it too is considered an opioid, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

What does all of this mean? Mike James is now being forced to choose between an effective medical treatment that is not causing him long-term harm and his football career. He recently became the first NFL player to file for a therapeutic use exemption, the only way around the league’s anti-cannabis rules. The league denied his application. James has said he will continue to fight. While he has his wealth and fame on his side, you have a team of skilled lawyers on your side. We know all too many average citizens must make these same critical choices when it comes to their career and their health, and our team is here to use our extensive knowledge of medical marijuana law to fight for your rights.

The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients, defendants, workers and those facing criminal marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:

Israel Scientific Study: Cannabis Safe and Effective for Regular Use in the Elderly; Can Decrease the Use of Other Prescription Medicines, Including Opioids, Feb. 20, 2018, PRNewswire

More Blog Entries:

Marijuana as a Replacement to Opioids, Dec. 6, 2017, Los Angeles Medical Marijuana Lawyers Blog

to the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, patients have been reaping the benefits of cannabis for everything from glaucoma to anxiety and chronic pain. Unfortunately, the research that would help independently establish these things has largely been stifled in the U.S., owing largely to the federal policy that classifies marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic. Meanwhile, as reported by U.S. News & World Report, Israel has become a leader in marijuana research – and one of the latest findings of Israeli researchers underscores the medicinal properties of marijuana for cancer patients.

Published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine, the study analyzes the effects of cannabis on symptoms related to cancer and cancer treatments. These include nausea, vomiting, headaches, weakness, pain, and more. According to the study, 1,046 out of 1,742 reported success in overcoming these symptoms after six months. This total did not include participants who passed away, switched cannabis providers, or did not respond to questionnaires. The study looked mostly at patients who were at an advanced stage of cancer and on average 60-years-old. These factors meant a quarter of patients died before the study was over, but even many of those patients reported having the pain of their condition eased by cannabis.

“Success” was determined by those who ranked their symptoms as having moderate or significant improvement and who did not have any adverse side effects. Patients with different cancers reported varying effectiveness, with renal cancer patients reporting the highest benefits and melanoma cancer patients the lowest.

Because marijuana is effective at alleviating multiple cancer symptoms, patients can take fewer drugs, which means less chance of negative drug interactions. It’s also not addictive, so patients can relieve pain without worrying about getting hooked. Study authors noted cannabis has been used medically and recreationally for thousands of years.

Our long-time Los Angeles medical marijuana lawyers know there have been decades of pointed political efforts to disparage any effort to use marijuana as medicine, much of it relying on the drug’s federal classification Schedule I narcotic (per Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 812). Under that classification, the drug has is considered dangerous, with “no currently accepted medical use in treatment.” It’s nearly impossible for scientific institutions in the U.S. to conduct medical research with any illegal substance of this classification, which meant we lost decades of research advancement on this front.

In Israel, medical marijuana was legalized in 1997. It is mostly used the ease symptoms associated with cancer and chemotherapy. Thankfully, we can now share in their findings as we continue to expand cannabis-based treatments across the U.S. and begin to officially educate medical students. And as we continue to conduct more studies like this one, it will be more difficult for federal officials to continue to deny the power of pot.

In the meantime, our skilled team is here to defend the rights of medical marijuana patients, as well as dispensary owners, and operators all along the supply chain.

The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients, defendants, workers and those facing criminal marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:

For Cancer, Cannabis Has Many Virtues, Says Large Study, March 19, 2018, By Nick Mulcahey, Medscape

More Blog Entries:

Cancer Patient Claims Illegal Medical Marijuana Healed Him, Feb. 28, 2016, Medical Marijuana Lawyers Blog