"Marijuana as Medicine": National Institute on Drug Abuse Updates Its Website

With all the confusion that revolves around the state-legal but federally-illegal marijuana industry, any clarification by a government entity or website is extremely valuable. This week the National Institute on Drug Abuse updated it's website with some interesting information that could be telling on how the future of the industry will progress. One major change to the site is the update to the section "What is CBD?" which is now titled "CBD and Childhood Epilepsy." This shift represents a huge step forward in our understanding of the different components of marijuana and how they can be isolated and concentrated to treat a specific condition completely separate from any recreational consumption of the drug. The site's additions also acknowledge individual states' rights to legalize the drug, clarifying further approval by the federal government. The last additions to the site underline what many researchers have been saying for years, marijuana needs to be studied much more so we have a clearer understanding of both it's benefits and long-term effects on humans and our development.

The box itself explains how CBD can treat epilepsy; the small shift in the headline reflects how accepted this practice has become. So does a change in the verbiage. Instead of reading, "These drugs may be less desirable to recreational users because they are not intoxicating," the updated version is more direct: "These drugs aren't popular for recreational use because they aren't intoxicating."

This change is major for medical patients: So much of the time, their medicine is compared to THC and negative cultural norms associated with smoking marijuana. Specifying that drugs that medical patients use are not in any way comparable to the high users get from THC is an important distinction.