The FDA has approved the first-ever liquid formulation of Dronabinol, a liquid form of synthetic marijuana. The drug has been set on the Controlled Substances Act as a Schedule III drug, which suggests that it has medical benefits and is unlikely to have potential for abuse.
The FDA’s approval of Dronabinol was done in an effort to offer an additional option to reap the real benefits of traditional marijuana, Vice reports. What some may not realize is that Dronabinol is not a brand new drug. It is the generic name for Marinol, which has been available since its 1985 approval.
Since the approval of Dronabinol, roughly 9,500 prescriptions have been written for the drug.
Dr. William Eidelman says that Dronabinol is not that different from Marinol. He commented that, “Some people want the Marinol prescription for the reason that having the prescription gives it an additional level of legal acceptability under federal law.”
Dr. Eidelman recommends both traditional marijuana flower and Marinol to his patients. He cannot write a prescription for marijuana flower given its federally illegal status.
Some claim that extracting only one chemical from a marijuana plant to make the synthetic forms of the drug makes the medicinal effects of the product less effective.
Dr. Perry Solomon said, “Most of our patients like having the full spectrum of the effect of the medication.”
A combination of effects have been reported from the use of synthetic forms of marijuana.
In response to the rescheduling efforts regarding marijuana, Dr. Eidelman said, “One never likes the government to act in stupid ways. Politics is politics. It oftentimes gets in the way of medicine and this is one example.”