After Insys Therapeutics, a wealthy pharmaceutical company, repeatedly opposed efforts to legalize marijuana, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) approved the company’s proposal to produce synthetic THC.
The company began the process of creating the synthetic marijuana product, known as Syndros, with approval from the DEA in 2016.
The company asked the DEA to change the classification of Syndros to a Schedule II narcotic, meaning its use would be allowed for certain medical circumstances unlike organic marijuana, which is a Schedule I narcotic.
In 2011, Insys wrote to the DEA in an effort to keep non-synthetic forms of cannabis classified as Schedule I.
They argued against changing the regulation by referring to the “longstanding policy of the U.S. to disfavor domestic cultivation of narcotic raw materials because of the concerns about the abuse potential from farming this material.”
Last year, the company donated $500,000 to Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy to oppose legalizing marijuana in the state (Prop 205). Legalizing marijuana in the state and elsewhere would mean that fewer consumers would buy Syndros instead of other cannabis products found at dispensaries.
The DEA approved the Insys proposal and the drug is now available by prescription.
Synthetic marijuana, however, has been linked to a number of serious health issues, most notably and infamously psychotic episodes.
Spice is the most known example of synthetic marijuana. It’s made of multiple… (continue reading)
Author: Ryan Beitler
An editor and contributor to Addiction Now, Ryan Beitler is a journalist, fiction writer, musician, and travel writer. He has written for Paste Magazine, OC Weekly, numerous addiction recovery publications, and his travel blog Our Little Blue Rock. He lives in Southern California. Contact Ryan at ryanrbeitler@gmail.com or ryanb@addictionnow.com.
