History
While dronabinol was initially approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration on May 31, 1985, it was not until May 13, 1986, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a Final Rule and Statement of Policy authorizing the "rescheduling of synthetic dronabinol in sesame oil and encapsulated in soft gelatin capsules from Schedule I to Schedule II" (DEA 51 FR 17476-78). This permitted medical use of Marinol, albeit with the severe restrictions associated with Schedule II status. For instance, refills of Marinol prescriptions were not permitted. On April 29, 1991, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, in accordance with article 2, paragraphs 5 and 6, of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, decided that Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (also referred to as Δ9-THC) and its stereochemical variants should be transferred from Schedule I to Schedule II of that Convention. This released Δ9-THC from many of the restrictions imposed by the Convention, facilitating the its marketing as medication.An article published in the April–June 1998 issue of the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs found that "Healthcare professionals have detected no indication of scrip-chasing or doctor-shopping among the patients for whom they have prescribed dronabinol". The authors state that Marinol has a low potential for abuse.In 1999, in the United States, Marinol was rescheduled from Schedule II to III of the Controlled Substances Act, reflecting a finding that THC had a potential for abuse less than that of cocaine and heroin.
Mark Kleiman, director of the Drug Policy Analysis Program at UCLAs School of Public Affairs said of Marinol, "It wasnt any fun and made the user feel bad, so it could be approved without any fear that it would penetrate the recreational market, and then used as a club with which to beat back the advocates of whole cannabis as a medicine. "Clinical trials comparing the use of cannabis extracts with Marinol in the treatment of cancer cachexia have demonstrated equal efficacy and well-being among subjects in the two treatment arms. United States federal law currently registers dronabinol as a Schedule III controlled substance, but all other cannabinoids remain Schedule I, except synthetics like nabilone and HU-308. See also
Cannabinoids
11-Hydroxy-THC, metabolite of THC
Anandamide, 2-Arachidonoylglycerol, endogenous cannabinoid agonists
Tetrahydrocannabinol
Cannabidiol (CBD)
Cannabinol (CBN), a metabolite of THC
Dimethylheptylpyran
Parahexyl
Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, the biosynthetic precursor for THC
HU-210, WIN 55,212-2, JWH-133, synthetic cannabinoid agonists (neocannabinoids)
Medical cannabis (pharmaceutical cannabinoids)
Epidiolex (prescription form of purified cannabidiol derived from hemp used for treating some rare neurological diseases)
Sativex
Nabilone, a novel synthetic cannabinoid analog (neocannabinoid)
HU-308, a highly potent synthetic cannabinoid CB2 agonist

References
External links
Medlineplus.gov on Dronabinol