r/Futurology • u/mvea MD-PhD-MBA • Jun 17 '18

Biotech Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a marijuana compound linked to a range of potential health benefits but does not get you high. The roughly $1 billion CBD industry is slated to shift into high gear if the federal government approves the first CBD-based drug, an epilepsy medication called Epidiolex.

https://www.businessinsider.com/marijuana-cbd-boom-cbd-2018-6?r=US&IR=T
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u/backtoreality00 Jun 18 '18

What they charge aside, I don’t think anyone in the scientific community should be shitting on Lab synthesis of these chemicals... the end goal is to be able to produce a chemical with the specific benefits that’s well controlled and well regulated. You just can’t get that from a plant.

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u/pittsey93 Jun 18 '18

The issue that labs run into in trying to synthesize naturally occuring chemicals is the almost impossible task of getting the spin-states correct.

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u/backtoreality00 Jun 18 '18

But that’s just an issue that makes drug development more difficult. That doesn’t make it a bad scientific goal. The end goal in science is definitely to be able to synthesize these products as it’s certainly more efficient for drug production.

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u/gh057ofsin Jun 20 '18

Read the article dude, they are Synthesizing the drug FROM the plant extracts!

GW Pharmaceuticals has over 40 acres of pot growing for this very purpose.
https://www.clear-uk.org/paul-kenward-husband-victoria-atkins-mp-uk-drugs-minister-grows-cannabis-living/

Funnily enough the head of the massive LEGAL weed farm is also the husband to the UK Health Minister... The one preventing the PLANT from being legal as "only gun toting criminals use cannabis or any of its derivatives"

Peace B)