Prior to the UK unveiling its decision to reclassify CBD oil as a medicine, the Drug Enforcement Agency in the US recently declared that the substance was equivalent to heroin by placing it in the same, heavily restricted class -- Schedule I.
Indeed, unlike the tyrannical government agencies that have all but taken over our country, the UK seems to have chosen to take the compassionate, common sense approach to natural medicine that actually helps devastatingly ill people.
Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, known as the MHRA for short, recently announced their decision to classify the compound as a medicine, based on the substantial amount of credible evidence to support its efficacy. CBD oil is used to treat a wide range of conditions, including childhood epilepsy, autism and cancer.
In the declaration of their opinions on CBD products, the MHRA stated, "We have come to the opinion that products containing cannabidiol (CBD) used for medical purposes are a medicine."
They agency went on to say, "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.”
Sadly, the UK approach does not allow consumers to purchase CBD products over the counter as a dietary supplement. While there will still be criticisms on both ends of the spectrum -- with some saying it is too stringent, while others will say it is too lax -- at least there appears to be some sort of effort from the UK government to acknowledge the very real benefits of this natural plant medicine.
Conversely, here in the USA, the DEA has all but sold the citizens it purports to protect up the river. As of January 13, CBD oil, and all cannbinoid compounds, have joined the list of Schedule I restricted substances, rendering them highly illegal -- in spite of the fact that CBD and most other cannabinoids do not even produce psychoactive effects. (The hemp industry has already filed suit against the DEA and has announced plans to vigorously fight the DEA's illogical regulatory change.)
CBD is a medicinal compound; at least three different studies have confirmed it is beneficial in the treatment of seizures, according to The Free Thought Project.
This recent change of heart in the United Kingdom underscores the sheer negligence and probable corruption that has infiltrated the DEA, among other government agencies. While the DEA twiddles their thumbs and pretends that they aren't aware of any potential for cannabinoid compounds to be medicinal, there are literally thousands of people who treat their ailments and diseases with these life-saving plant medicines. If the DEA was as omniscient and powerful as they think they are, how can they really expect us to believe that they just don't know how beneficial it is? It seems a lot more like they know and don't care, doesn't it?
This becomes especially clear when you see that while the DEA is off banning medicinal compounds, the FDA is approving Big Pharma's latest concoctions -- guess what their newest drugs are going to be based on: the compounds found in marijuana. Kratom is another medicinal plant that has been subjected to the scorn of the DEA, only to also have its natural pain-relieving compounds synthesized and patented.
If these compounds are such a "hazard to public safety" -- as the DEA itself has said -- why on earth are they being used to create medicine?
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