Marijuana is a puzzling drug, and a contentious one at that. Pure THC is sold pharmaceutically (and DEA-OK), but the whole plant isn’t OK with the feds. That said, many states have decriminalized it for medical use. The pharmacology of cannabinoids is complex; marijuana aficionados report the drug exhibits a certain capacity to make eating 99 cent frozen pizza a more sublime experience than it would be sober. This rationale has resulted in the use of rimonabant, a cannabinoid antagonist (that is, it blocks its effects) to treat obesity.

Currently, rimonabant is available only in Europe. Last week, NPR ran a story on an American who imported it from Europe to treat his obesity.

So why isn’t it approved in the States? Like you’d expect, the psychopharmacology of cannabinoids is complex, and there is some concern about depression caused by the drug. Interestingly, it seems to act like an “anti-marijuana” in other aspects, such as improving short-term memory in rats.  Sanofy said earlier this month that will send acomplia to the FDA again for approval and it is in Sanofi’s hope that until 2009 rimonabant will be available in US pharmacies under the brand name Acomplia. You can now purchase Acomplia under the generic names like Rimonabant, Slimona or Obitone. That is the agreement that is what you can legally buy in the US curently. Don’t worry though the effects are the same only the name is different. All these pills are made after Sanofi’s specifications.