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INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s Attorney General is praising the FDA for approving a first of it’s kind drug.

Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the nod to a drug that contains purified canabidiol (CBD), which can be used to treat two rare forms of childhood epilepsy. 

“This is an important medical advance,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said. “But it’s also important to note that this is not an approval of marijuana or all of its components. This is the approval of one specific CBD medication for a specific use.”

Gottlieb noted that this is “purified CBD Oil”, meaning that there are not any elements from the marijuana plant within the approved drug that can get you high. 

This has long been a concern of Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, who has been outspoken against the use of marijuana and marijuana derivatives to treat illness in the past calling it a “gateway drug.” However this time around, Hill is all for the FDA’s approval.

“Regarding the development of medicine, we should follow the standard scientific protocols developed in the United States for approving products as effective and safe,”  Hill said. “I said the same thing during discussions last year about CBD oil, and this is what I continue to believe. We should respect the guidance of the FDA.”

In the 2017 Legislative Session state lawmakers approved the use of CBD Oil, without FDA approval, to treat illnesses such as childhood epilepsy and PTSD in veterans. But, Hill was quick to point out that they did not legalize its sale.

Soon after Hill announced that stores throughout Indiana had 90 days to remove CBD Oil from their shelves or they could face fines. Lawmakers remedied their oversight in the 2018 session. CBD Oil is legal to use and sell in Indiana with or without FDA approval.  

(PHOTO: Geoffrey Van Der Hasselt/Getty Images)