420 with CNW — SAMHSA Advisory Warns Users About
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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has released a new advisory warning about the possible side effects, harms, and unknowns of CBD. The federal agency also makes the implication that cannabis dispensaries may sell safer products than gas stations and other stores.
The cannabinoid product has been available on store shelves since Congress approved the use of hemp in the 2018 Farm Act, and SAMHSA reports that demand for it is still rising. According to SAMHSA’s advisory, a variety of form factors, such as CBD-infused foods, topicals, fabrics and drinks, are now available at an estimated 270,000 retail stores countrywide.
According to the advisory, which quotes a survey done by prescription discount plan SingleCare, one in every three Americans reported using cannabinoid products in 2020. As a result of its widespread use, the agency urges that people be aware of the risks and dangers involved with using CBD products as well as the common misconceptions surrounding them.
A majority of the risks mentioned in the study, including inaccurate labeling, poor quality control and low safety standards, are brought on by the fact that CBD products are not federally regulated.
The FDA announced last month that it would not be developing rules to permit the marketing of CBD as a food or dietary supplement despite numerous requests for action from legislators, advocates and other stakeholders to do so. Instead, it declared that it would prefer to work with Congress to find a different course of action. Additionally, the agency denied citizen petitions asking for rulemaking on CBD marketing.
The warning makes no attempt to contrast CBD’s potential side effects with the problems associated with prescription drugs, such as opioids. Various studies have shown that the use of opioids to treat conditions such as chronic pain can be decreased by making regulated marijuana, including CBD products, more widely available.
Epidiolex, a prescription drug made of purified CBD that is meant to treat a rare type of childhood epilepsy, is the only CBD product that has received FDA approval to date. All other CBD products are sold as potential treatments for a range of medical conditions, with only a few having been proven effective through research.
According to survey results from 2019 cited by the agency, 40% of CBD users bought products from cannabis dispensaries. One-third of consumers (34%) received the products from retail locations while 27% bought it online and 12% got it from an undisclosed source.
While marijuana dispensaries are still illegal on the federal level, cannabis retailers, which are typically licensed and subject to strict state regulation, may provide better and more consistent CBD products than those offered by national retailers, according to SAMHSA. However, the organization also stated that depending on the state’s definition of acceptable CBD products, the goods sold at marijuana dispensaries that are not FDA approved may contain more than 0.3% THC.
The medicinal potential of cannabis has drawn the attention of many entities, such as India Globalization Capital Inc. (NYSE American: IGC), which have invested heavily into studying these substances with the aim of commercializing FDA-approved formulations from them.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to India Globalization Capital Inc. (NYSE American: IGC) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/IGC
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