US Approves First Marijuana Plant-Derived Drug for Epilepsy

US Approves First Marijuana Plant-Derived Drug for Epilepsy
A flowering marijuana plant. Reuters/Chris Wattie
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The U.S. health regulator approved GW Pharmaceuticals Plc’s epilepsy treatment on Monday, making it the first cannabis-based drug to win approval in the country and opening floodgates for more research into the medicinal properties of cannabis.

The drug’s approval permits its use in patients aged two years and older with Dravet Syndrome (DS) and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS), rare childhood-onset forms of epilepsy that are among the most resistant to treatment.