The UK has reclassified Cannabidiol (CBD) as a medicine. What does it mean?

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Introduction

I have previously made some posts looking at drug policy. Some of the points I have previously mentioned are:

1. The current prohibition on drugs of abuse does not work.
2. Some of these drugs have potential therapeutic uses.
3. Research on these uses is hindered by prohibition.
4. There does seem to be a gradual change in drug policy occurring which is indicated by the legalisation of Cannabis in various American States.

Along these lines I saw a Motherboard article today discussing how the MHRA in the UK has officially classified CBD as a medicine.

I think this merits further discussion. Before reviewing what the MHRA actually said here are a few points of explanation:

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What is Cannabidiol/CBD?

• A component of cannabis.
• Thought to be non-intoxicating and non-addictive.
• May be of benefit in a variety of illnesses according to preliminary research e.g. epilepsy, anxiety, neurological conditions and inflammatory diseases.
• May have anti-psychotic properties which could make it a safer alternative to artificial antipsychotic drugs.
• Was not technically illegal but some considered supplements to be in a grey area of legality due to it's association with cannabis.

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What is the MHRA?

From their own website:

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK.

Basically it is the UK equivalent of the FDA.

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What has the MHRA actually said?

I feel the Motherboard article doesn't actually make it clear what all this means.

Previously in November of 2016 the MHRA announced:

While MHRA has given its opinion that products containing cannabidiol (CBD) used for medical purposes are medicines, we have also carefully considered the needs of individuals using CBD products to treat or manage the symptoms of medical conditions.

Our primary concern is patient safety. In order to ensure that products remain available until individuals have the opportunity to discuss their treatment with their doctor, companies now have until 31 December 2016 to voluntarily operate within the law, by withdrawing their existing products from the market, or working with MHRA to satisfy the legal requirements of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.

What they were basically saying then was that they wanted to eliminate CBD from the grey area of supplements to being regulated as a medicine.

The most recent addition/clarification was made on the 30th December 2016:

Our primary concern is patient safety and we wish to reiterate that individuals using cannabidiol (CBD) products to treat or manage the symptoms of medical conditions should discuss their treatment with their doctor.

MHRA will now work with individual companies and trade bodies in relation to making sure products containing CBD, used for a medical purpose, which can be classified as medicines, satisfy the legal requirements of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.

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Translation of the "government speak" is:

Basically this is a further clarification that from the 1st of January 2017 all CBD products will be treated as medicines and regulated as such.

It can no longer be sold as a supplement and companies will need to have the same quality control standards in place as they would if it were any other pharmaceutical drug.

Due to the holidays the MHRA has only just started promoting this and discussing this in the media. I think it is also a good way for them to get PR out of what is basically an old story.

This Sky News report from Monday has a short video which summarises some of the points about CBD it's uses and the change in the regulation.

I think it is worth watching for the story of the little girl and her mother who have been using CBD. They are a good illustration of how people have been affected by some of the inconsistencies and hypocrisies of previous laws.

Further the mother can now be sure that what she is giving her daughter actual CBD.

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Why is this important?

1. Previously CBD products were in a legal grey area. People were unsure of the legality and there were reports of people falling under police scrutiny for using CBD.
2. Suppliers will now need to use pharmaceutical levels of quality control, which will mean ensuring that they actually contain the CBD which they are supposed to contain. This has previously been a problem with supplements - you may well have seen or heard of recent tests where supplements were found not to contain what they were supposed to.
3. Doctors can now prescribe or recommend CBD as treatment for patients without problems.
4. Costs to the patients may also be lower and there may be a long term reduction in production costs due to greater use.
5. Finally and this could pave the way for further softening of the stance on cannabis and other illegal drugs for medicinal use.

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Conclusion

This is a positive change but I think this being featured in the news is really just a PR stunt as it was basically announced in November of last year.

I don't want to look the proverbial "gift horse" in the mouth though.

Let us hope that this more sensible attitude extends across to other government departments and policies.

Perhaps things are finally starting to change.

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Thank you for reading.

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References:

1. “MHRA Statement on Products Containing Cannabidiol (CBD) - News Stories - GOV.UK.” 2017. Accessed January 4. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-statement-on-products-containing-cannabidiol-cbd.
2. “Cannabis Ingredient to Be Classed as Medicine.” 2017. Sky News. Accessed January 4. http://news.sky.com/story/cannabis-ingredient-to-be-classed-as-medicine-in-uk-10714967.
3. “The UK Just Moved to Classify Cannabidiol Oil CBD as Medicine.” 2017. Motherboard. Accessed January 4. http://motherboard.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-uk-just-moved-to-classify-cannaboid-oil-cbd-as-medicine.
4. Izzo, Angelo A., Francesca Borrelli, Raffaele Capasso, Vincenzo Di Marzo, and Raphael Mechoulam. 2009. “Non-Psychotropic Plant Cannabinoids: New Therapeutic Opportunities from an Ancient Herb.” Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 30 (10): 515–27.
5. Devinsky, Orrin, Maria Roberta Cilio, Helen Cross, Javier Fernandez-Ruiz, Jacqueline French, Charlotte Hill, Russell Katz, et al. 2014. “Cannabidiol: Pharmacology and Potential Therapeutic Role in Epilepsy and Other Neuropsychiatric Disorders.” Epilepsia 55 (6): 791–802.
6. Iseger, Tabitha A., and Matthijs G. Bossong. 2015. “A Systematic Review of the Antipsychotic Properties of Cannabidiol in Humans.” Schizophrenia Research 162 (1-3): 153–61.
7. Newmaster, Steven G., Meghan Grguric, Dhivya Shanmughanandhan, Sathishkumar Ramalingam, and Subramanyam Ragupathy. 2013. “DNA Barcoding Detects Contamination and Substitution in North American Herbal Products.” BMC Medicine 11 (October): 222.

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