UK Recognizes Marijuana Extract As Medicine

The United Kingdom has become the next country to legalize the cannabinoid CBD for medicinal purposes, but those caught possessing the flower or buds of the plant still face time in prison. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency announced that CBD, while not getting the user "high", has the ability to treat forms of cancer, IBS, depression, multiple sclerosis, and PTSD. The MHRA says the compound CBD has "restoring, correcting or modifying" properties on a person's physiological functions. The acknowledgement of CBD as medicine is progress for marijuana reform, however a strict CBD-only program can hurt many patients who rely on other forms of cannabis and force them into the black market. 

“We have come to the opinion that products containing cannabidiol (CBD) are a medicine,” a spokesman for the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency told The Huffington Post.

The MHRA found that CBD has a “restoring, correcting or modifying” effect on the human body’s “physiological functions,” the Independent reported.

“It’s definitely a positive development,” said Michael Collins, deputy director for the Drug Policy Alliance, but he cautioned that measures pertaining only to CBD can be too limiting for patients.