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BIG3 will allow players to use CBD for pain treatment and recovery

June 27, 2018 - ESPN
The BIG3 will permit its players to use cannabidiol (CBD) as a pain treatment and for recovery, the 3-on-3 pro basketball league announced on Thursday. The rule is in effect immediately. "The BIG3 is uniquely positioned in professional sports as a player-powered league that looks at our players as partners not property," BIG3 co-founder and co-CEO Jeff Kwatinetz said in a statement. "As a testament to our relationship with our players, we listened to their feedback on CBD, as well as feedback from professionals in the regulatory and CBD industry, and decided to take this major step to support their health." The BIG3, which is in the second week of a 10-week season, says it is the first pro sports league in the United States to allow its athletes to use CBD for pain treatment and recovery. The league notes that the World Anti-Doping Agency removed CBD from its list of banned substances earlier this year. The NFL, NBA and MLB all prohibit the use of CBD in their league bylaws. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last year that the league would examine the issue in greater detail. The NFL reportedly has also expressed a willingness to study the use of marijuana for pain management.

Oklahoma voters approve medical marijuana measure

June 27, 2018 - CNN
Oklahomans voted in favor of legalizing medicinal marijuana Tuesday, with 56.8% approving the measure, according to unofficial results with 99.6% of precincts reporting. State Question No. 788 asked voters whether to legalize the use, sale and growth of medical marijuana in Oklahoma. It requires a medical marijuana license with approval from an Oklahoma Board certified physician, that would be issued by the state's Department of Health. It also establishes a minimum age of 18 for medical marijuana licenses, although younger applicants can get an exception if a parent or guardian, and two doctors sign.
The results in Oklahoma are unofficial, but Gov. Mary Fallin issued a statement Tuesday night. FDA approves first cannabis-based drug "I respect the will of the voters in any question placed before them to determine the direction of our state," she said. "It is our responsibility as state leaders to look out for the health and safety of Oklahoma citizens."
Fallin had previously said that she planned on calling a special session if voters pass the measure, reported CNN affiliate KOCO.
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Oklahoma: voters decide in favor of statewide medical cannabis access law

June 26, 2018 - NORML
A majority of Oklahomans today voted to enact State Question 788 — a statewide voter-initiated measure that permits doctors to use their discretion to recommend medical cannabis to those patients who will benefit from it. Oklahoma is now the 31st state to legalize and regulate the use of medical cannabis under state law. “Public support for medical marijuana access is non-partisan,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “Even in a predominantly ‘red’ state like Oklahoma, it is the will of the voters to enact common sense, yet significant marijuana law reforms.” He continued, “The ongoing expansion of compassionate medical marijuana in states like Oklahoma places additional pressure upon Congress to take action to end this existing state/federal conflict. It is time for members to move forward with legislation like The States Act or The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act, which would allow states the flexibility and autonomy to regulate cannabis as best they see fit — free from the looming threat of undue federal intervention.” READ MORE
June 25, 2018 - NORML
Regulators at the US Food and Drug Administration today granted market approval for Epidiolex, a prescription medicine containing a standardized formulation of plant-derived cannabidiol (CBD), for the explicit treatment of two rare forms of severe epilepsy: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.
The FDA’s decision was not unexpected, as the proprietary extract formulation — developed by the British biotechnology firm GW Pharmaceuticals — had previously demonstrated safety and clinical efficacy at reducing seizure frequency in several placebo-controlled trials. Epidiolex had previously received Fast Track Designation and Orphan Drug Status from the FDA. It is the fourth marijuana-based medicine to receive US FDA approval — joining dronabinol (aka Marinol), nabilone (aka Cesamet), and liquid synthetic THC (aka Syndros). However, Epidiolex is the first FDA-approved medicine containing plant-derived, non-synthetic cannabinoids. Commenting on the agency’s decision, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: “The FDA’s approval of this plant-derived medicine provides an additional option to patients seeking the therapeutic benefits of cannabis. However, it remains to be seen whether physicians will be comfortable prescribing this new agent to those patients who may benefit from it, and whether it will be priced in a range that patients may afford.” According to the New York Times, analysts expect Epidiolex to cost $2,500 to $5,000 a month. READ MORE

Using marijuana to treat opioid addiction

June 12, 2018 - The Fix
When I'm on marijuana, the thought of injecting toxic drugs into my body seems totally unhealthy and unappealing. It's not a cure-all, but it stops me from relapsing on heroin.
If you believe that medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) is wrong because it's "just substituting one drug for another," then you're really not going to like this article. It's not about one of the three major forms of MAT approved for opioid addiction: buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone. It's about another medication, which does not cause a physical dependency, nor does it contribute to the 175 drug overdose deaths that take place each day in the United States. It has fewer harmful side effects than most other medications, and has even been correlated with a reduction in opioid overdose rates. Nonetheless, it is more controversial than MAT and, in most states, less accessible. In fact, Pennsylvania is the only state that has approved its use for OUD—and only as of May 17, 2018. In New Jersey, it was recently approved to treat chronic pain due to opioid use disorder. READ MORE

I kicked my opioid addiction with marijuana

May 11, 2018 - The Daily Beast
“Do. Not. Do. This.” It was a miserable Saturday, two months after my skin was sliced open, my dead knee cut out, four metal plates screwed into my bones, one large wafer of hard plastic inserted, then got everything stitched back together like Frankenstein’s monster. The voice sounded like it was coming from the bottom of a million mile well deep inside me.
I stared at the pills. Eight Oxycodone. Forty milligrams. I’d become very good at ignoring the little voice that always told me the right thing to do. It helped that I felt like raw sewage. I popped the pills and washed them down with organic beet apple ginger turmeric juice.
Over 20,000 people died of synthetic opioid overdose in 2016. You may have heard that due to the epidemic of synthetic opioid addiction, doctors are reluctant to give prescriptions to patients, and careful to inform patients of their dangers. My doctor—an excellent cutter and well-respected pillar of the medical community—must not have gotten the memo. He handed out Oxycodone pills like they were Pez and my dispenser always needed a refill. Donald Trump recently stated publicly that he would like to see the death penalty for people who sell opioids. Sen. George Amedore said, “It’s poison. They’re profiting on our most vulnerable.” They weren’t talking about legal drug dealers: doctors. The majority of whom are white. They were talking about illegal drug dealers. The majority of whom are brown. A dealer who sells drugs that lead to death can now be charged with homicide. But what about doctors like mine, affluent white men who deal drugs that kill their patients?
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