Bill introduced to pave way for second pot-derived drug in Idaho | Northwest

BOISE — Legislation that paves the way for the legalization of a second marijuana-derived drug in Idaho advanced to the House floor with a favorable recommendation Thursday.

House Bill 446 would allow nabiximols — an oral pain-relief spray that contains THC and CBD — to be prescribed and dispensed in Idaho, once it’s approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, is currently illegal in Idaho, as is marijuana itself. CBD or cannabidiol is legal, so long as it doesn’t contain any THC.

HB 446 would amend the definition of “marijuana” and “THC” in state code to provide an exception for nabiximols. However, it also indicates the drug would only be legal in a product that’s been approved by the FDA.

“We expect to file with the FDA sometime this year. That will start a one-year clock, and it could be approved any time within that year,” said Kurt Stembridge, government affairs director for Greenwich Biosciences.

Greenwich Biosciences is the US subsidiary of GW Pharmaceuticals, the company that developed epidiolex.

Epidiolex is a pharmaceutical-grade CBD oil that’s used to treat certain forms of seizures. It received FDA approval in 2018, and remains the only federally approved drug that has ingredients derived from the marijuana plant.

Stembridge told the House Health and Welfare Committee on Thursday that GW Pharmaceuticals has been studying marijuana for medicinal purposes for 28 years.

He said nabiximols is used to ease spasms and pain in people with multiple sclerosis, and is being studied for use with other neurological disorders. It has been approved in 25 countries, including the United Kingdom.

Nevertheless, as part of the US approval process, the drug has been undergoing entirely new clinical trials.

“When you go down the FDA pathway, you have to prove the efficacy of the drug,” Stembridge said. “You have to prove any side effects and any interactions with other drugs.”

That sets it apart from recreational and medical marijuana, he said, whose benefits, if any, are largely anecdotal.

Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, voted against the bill in committee, saying he was concerned it might open the door to recreational or medical marijuana, and because it hasn’t yet been approved by the FDA.

Rep. Brandon Mitchell, R-Moscow, supported the motion to send the bill to the House floor with a favorable recommendation. However, he also reserved the right to change his mind.

“I don’t know a whole lot about this type of thing,” he said. “I have some good friends in the medical field, and there’s still a lot I’m investigating. I’ll go ahead and support this, but reserve the right to change my mind as I do more investigation.”

Health and Welfare Chairman Fred Wood, R-Burley, said from a clinical standpoint, nabiximols “probably shouldn’t even be a scheduled drug. That’s how nondangerous it is.”

Wood, a retired medical doctor, said nabiximols would be “far, far, far less dangerous than probably 85%, 90% of all medications we prescribe. … And if you’ve ever seen MS patients, anything we can do to help them — particularly if it’s FDA approved — I’m all for.”

If the bill passes the House, it still needs to pass the Senate, which in recent years has been skeptical of a proposal that smacks of drug legalization.

source https://www.bisayanews.com/2022/01/28/bill-introduced-to-pave-way-for-second-pot-derived-drug-in-idaho-northwest/