The CBD craze is getting out of hand. The FDA needs to act.

The Washington Post
A syringe with a dose of CBD oil The Washington Post | James Alexander Michie

A syringe with a dose of CBD oil is shown in a research laboratory in Fort Collins, Colo., in 2017. (David Zalubowski/AP)

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. It is one of 113 cannabinoids identified in cannabis plants and represents up to 40% of the plant extract. In 2018, clinical research on cannabidiol included preliminary studies of anxiety, cognition, movement disorders, and pain.

It should be noted that cannabidiol can be taken in the body in multiple ways, including by inhaling cannabis smoke or vapor, such as a spray on the cheek and mouth. It can be supplied as CBD oil that contains only CBD as an active ingredient (does not include tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] or terpenes), a hemp extract oil with dominant CBD throughout the plant, capsules, dried cannabis or as a prescribed liquid solution.

Side effects of long-term use of the medication include drowsiness, decreased appetite, diarrhea, fatigue, malaise, weakness and trouble sleeping. As of July 2019 in the United States, CBD is a controlled substance in Schedule I that is illegal for use in human foods, dietary supplements, other consumer products or pet food.

CBD established everywhere

Certainly, cannabidiol is everywhere, from small specialty stores to large national retail chains. It can be found in foods, supplements, medications, oils, creams, pet foods and more, and vendors claim that the compound treats everything from cancer to depression. Analysts say the market could exceed $ 20 billion by 2024.

Even so, it is necessary to indicate that many of the expansive benefits of the compound are fantastic and, in fact, the sale of much of the product is illegal under current law. Thus, the Food and Drug Administration must act to ensure that commercial interests do not eliminate any legitimate value that the compound may have.

Clearly, much of the CBD is derived from hemp, the product that was legalized on the 2018 farm bill. But the law still prohibits putting the chemical in pet food or food, and the FDA has issued warnings and repeated actions on the flourishing CBD industry. In fact, there is only one purified form of legally available CBD: the Epidiolex drug, approved by the FDA in 2018 to treat seizure disorders.

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Source: Scott Gottlieb | The Washington Post

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