Just as the federal government is clamping down on medical marijuana dispensaries, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) may be set to give Big Pharma the clearance to take over the market.
In 2007, GW Pharmaceuticals announced that it partnered with Otsuka to bring “Sativex” — or liquefied marijuana — to the U.S. The companies recently completed Phase II efficacy and safety trials testing and began discussion with the FDA for Phase III testing. Phase III is generally thought to be the final step before the drug can be marketed in the U.S.
“GW Pharmaceuticals plc (AIM: GWP) today announces the initiation of the Phase III clinical trials programme of Sativex in the treatment of pain in patients with advanced cancer, who experience inadequate analgesia during optimized chronic opioid therapy,” GW said in a statement. “This indication represents the initial target indication for Sativex in the United States.” 
Sativex is the brand name for a drug derived from cannabis sativa. It’s an extract from the whole plant cannabis, not a synthetic compound. Even GW defines the drug (.pdf) as marijuana.
Yet as the FDA is poised to approve the drug for Big Pharma, state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries that provide relief for thousands of Americans are under attack by other federal agencies.
Lynette Shaw, the owner and founder of Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana (MAMM) in Fairfax, California, was stunned when the IRS audited her 2008 and 2009 tax returns and disallowed the foundation’s business deductions, then demanded millions of dollars in back taxes.
The IRS pursued her under § 280E of the federal tax code, which states that no business deductions will be allowed for companies “trafficking in controlled substances”.
Shaw is now suing the IRS to prevent them from destroying the entire medical marijuana industry.
Last week, the Justice Department even threatened to prosecute state employees who license medical marijuana dispensaries.
As a result, Washington state Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) said she would veto a bill that would have allowed the state to license growers.
In February, marijuana advocacy group NORML warned that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intended to legalize marijuana for Big Pharma only.
“The DEA’s intent is to expand the federal government’s schedule III listing to include pharmaceutical products containing naturally derived formations of THC while simultaneously maintain existing criminal prohibitions on the plant itself,” Paul Armentano, the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), wrote at AlterNet.
Source: https://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/04/20/big-pharma-set-to-take-over-medical-marijuana-market/
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I would really like Cannabis to be legalised. The ammount of people who would benifit from this,(not only from the medical point of view) but also for the people who smoke to relax and to take away the stress.I have been a consumer from marijuana for many years and dissagree with the beleife that it is the first step into the drug world. We are each responsible for our actions and the way we want to live our lives. We should be free to make our own decissions but to let a pharma company take over the market would be the wrong way of going about things. I have not the answer as to how it should be done but i am sure that there must be a solution.
Big Pharma will never replace what is happening in States like California, MOST people smoke marijuana because THEY LIKE TO SMOKE MARIJUANA!! The more the government fights us, the stronger the industry gets, the stronger the MESSAGE GETS!! You can’t stop the truth!!
It’s identical to the same reason it was criminalized back at the end of the twenties and a slap in the face to anyone who know this history. Two words. GREED and POWER.
The fact that the federal government still labels marijuana a schedule one controlled substance (on the same level as heroin) is an absolute joke. For a drug to be labeled a schedule one controlled substance, it must be found to have no medicinal benefits. Those enrolled in Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Program are barred from purchasing or possessing a firearm, and can be denied employment even if they have their patient card. So many people have gone to jail, or have had to spend thousands of dollars in court fees, all because they use a drug that is less dangerous than tobacco or alcohol, has been shown to reduce risk of colon cancer, can treat various forms of cancer, reduces pain as effectively as the much more dangerous prescription opiates that are passed out like candy. And screw these politicians who leave office and THEN endorse marijuana reform laws. Marijuana is one of the most amazing plants in the world, and the fact that our government maintains its status as an illegal schedule one substance is a microcosm of all the terrible atrocities that our government has committed (slavery, the death penalty, vietnam, hiroshima) and continues to commit (the death penalty, iraq, afghanistan)
we need to get off our butts and use are votes -and do what we believe in! fight for the right representitives-VOTE IT YOUR RIGHT AND SPEAK YOUR MIND!!!