Local Store Steps into the CBD Fray

Originally published in the Concord Journal June 2018.

CBD, aka cannabidiol, found in agricultural hemp, is controversial. There are misperceptions.  The legal and regulatory status is in question.  The FDA says one thing.  Existing precedent says another.

Meanwhile, an FDA advisory panel unanimously recommended approval of Epidiolex as a drug for epilepsy… Epidiolex is, you guessed it, CBD.

According to The New York Times in April, “…Epidiolex…. [whose] active ingredient, cannabidiol, also called CBD (italics added), is one of the chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant but does not contain properties that make people high.”

Can a substance be a supplement and a drug?

Meanwhile, our friendly store, Debra’s Natural Gourmet in West Concord, is stepping into the fray.  Are we afraid of the controversy?  We were – two years ago – we delayed putting CBD products on our shelves.  Today we embrace the science, history and hemp products (see our window).

Customer feedback indicates that scientists will legitimize CBD’s help for pain, stress, insomnia, seizures and depression.  The economics and politics of this story will be a nail-biter.