A chemical derived from marijuana has become the first of its kind to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration and will be delivered to patients suffering from epilepsy in the form of a strawberry-flavored syrup.

The FDA announced Monday that it had approved the drug, cannabidiol, which is one of 80 active chemicals in marijuana, to treat seizures from epilepsy. It is the first time the agency has approved a purified drug substance that comes from marijuana.

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