While the United Kingdom isn't likely to legalize marijuana any time soon, the government has admitted that Cannabidiol (CBD), one of the chemicals in the drug, has a "restoring, correcting or modifying" impact on a person's health. This is the first time the U.K. has acknowledged any medicinal properties of marijuana.
CBD, unlike THC, another chemical in marijuana, does not cause a psychoactive "high."
The government’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has found that Cannabidiol (CBD) has a “restoring, correcting or modifying” effect on “physiological functions” when administered to humans, in a potential milestone in the campaign to legalise cannabis and bring about evidence-based laws regarding drugs.
The review of CBD, a cannabinoid accounting for up to 40% of the marijuana plant's extract that doesn't contain its psychoactive THC but is purported to retain the health benefits, came about following discussions with CBD vaporiser company MediPen.
This new declaration means that CBD can now be used in medicines in the U.K., and there is hope that the government will loosen marijuana regulations and permit the drug to be used for medicinal purposes. In the United States, many sufferers of seizure disorders have seen much improvement in their physical conditions after ingesting high-CBD strains of cannabis. It's about time that patients in the U.K. gain access to these treatments as well.