Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers on Cannabis for Epilepsy

(Newswire.net — May 2, 2018) Tallahassee, FL –In just a few short years, the medical community has moved from skepticism to hope as new drugs are developed from cannabis. In the United States, 29 states and the District of Columbia have passed some form of medical marijuana legalization initiatives, opening the door to a booming market. Along with these new opportunities, medical researchers have been hard at work developing new drugs. One of the recent breakthroughs comes from GW Pharmaceuticals PLC, a UK-based firm that developed a cannabis-based oral medication from specially-bred cannabis plants. The experimental drug was designed to combat several forms of epilepsy, and was shown effective in several drug trials. Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve, a Florida chain of medical cannabis dispensaries, applauds the development of this new drug. “Patients with epilepsy often struggle to find medications that control their seizures without unpleasant or dangerous side effects,” says Kim. “This new cannabis-based drug could provide the relief patients need, even in cases where other medication protocols have failed.” To learn more about the breakthrough, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-17/drug-made-from-cannabis-plant-gets-backing-from-fda-staff.

The experimental drug, which the UK pharmaceutical company hopes to sell under the brand name “Epidiolex”, recently received support from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) staff, which claimed that the developers provided substantial proof of its effectiveness. The drug is derived from a cannabis strain with high levels of cannabidiol (CBD), a phytoactive chemical compound that has been demonstrated in clinical trials to reduce the frequency and severity of epileptic seizures. CBD is not psychoactive; in other words, it does not produce the “high” of other marijuana strains that contain tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Once the CBD is extracted from the plant material, it is carefully refined and used to make an oral solution – in this case a strawberry-flavored solution that will be palatable for children afflicted with severe epilepsy. The drug was developed to provide relief for patients diagnosed with one of two rare forms of epilepsy, Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes. These forms of epilepsy are not well controlled by current medications.

If the FDA approves the experimental cannabis-based drug, it could provide patients with an effective alternative to potentially harmful medications, and is likely to be covered by most health insurance plans. FDA approval also means that pharmaceutical manufacturers around the world will scramble to produce new cannabis-based medications for a variety of health ailments, including depression, arthritis, chronic pain, and muscular disorders. Kim Rivers, who is a champion of patients’ rights and access to medical marijuana, knows that FDA approval is potentially the next step in a federal mandate to remove marijuana from the DEA’s Schedule 1 classification. “With our piecemeal state regulations on medical cannabis and legal uncertainty on the federal level, not all patients have access to the medication they need to live healthy lives,” adds Kim. “Federal legalization reform is desperately needed.” For more information on Kim and her work in the field of medical cannabis dispensaries, visit https://newswire.net/newsroom/pr/00100846-kim-rivers-discusses-training-for-marijuana-dispensary-jobs.html.