SJM_Community_CBD_0919_Dept 8 / 29 / 19 12 : 21 PM Page 1 C Entering the Mainstream CBD PRODUCTS ARE POISED TO BE THE NEXT BIG THING AS MORE PEOPLE SEEK NATURAL ALTERNATIVES TO OPIOID MEDICATIONS , BUT ARE THEY SAFE AND DO THEY WORK ? by Liz Hunter WHAT IS CBD ? xycodone , Tramadol , Imitrex , Topimax , Zoloft and Lexapro — Stef Smith took To be clear , cannabidiol ( CBD ) is not every drug out there for chronic pain , severe migraines , anxiety , PTSD and medical marijuana , as is the miscon - post - partum depression . Since surviving a car accident at age 18 , the now 31 - O ception by some . CBD is derived year - old Cherry Hill mother of two can’t remember the last time she had a day directly from the hemp plant , and while without pain — until she tried CBD . it is a component of marijuana , CBD “ For my body pains , it’s like a weight was lifted off my shoulders . … It’s actually alone does not cause a “ high . ” Hemp kind of weird because I’ve pretty much had pain my entire life , but when I use the plants contain less than 0.3 percent CBD , I’m almost pain free . Something I’m not used to , ” Smith says . Aside from the THC , the psychoactive compound in occasional Advil , CBD keeps her symptoms under control . “ If I hadn’t tried CBD I marijuana . would probably still be trying an obnoxious amount of different medications just Its prevalence lately is due in large to get minor relief and even worse side effects — I was on one medication that part to the Farm Bill . Hemp was illegal made me forget common words and have pins and needles in my hands and feet . to grow or sell in the U.S . until the Farm It was horrible . ” Bill was signed into law in 2018 . A provi - Smith’s story is one becoming more familiar around the country and here in sion in the law legalized hemp , shifting South Jersey as people turn to CBD ( cannabidiol ) products as a solution to their the ground and making it clear that the health woes . Available in everything from cosmetics , edible varieties , oils , creams federal government would not consider and even dog treats — the CBD industry is exploding . Some analysts predict hemp a schedule I controlled dan - that CBD sales in the U.S . will reach $ 20 billion by 2024 , much of it spurred by gerous substance , says Josephson . With mainstream retail brands planning to offer the products on their shelves , those restrictions lifted , it cracked the including CVS , Walgreens , Ulta Beauty and Martha Stewart . CBD market wide open . But even as a growing number of people seek out an alternative to opioids , CBD However , CBD does not have products remain unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) — except approval as a prescription drug or for one , Epidiolex , a drug approved for treatment of epilepsy — and little research exists dietary supplement , meaning doctors to back the claims made by CBD manufacturers . “ CBD is one of those compounds cannot write prescriptions for it , and that has gained interest in the marketplace for consumers and whenever there is a the FDA reserves its authority over any new ‘ miracle ’ substance , whether it’s an anti - oxidant or superfood , the buzz gets out claims made by manufacturers about and the marketplace follows , ” says Paul Josephson , partner at Duane Morris and CBD’s therapeutic benefits . member of the firm’s Cannabis Industry Practice Group . “ But there are concerns from “ The most important question when a regulatory perspective about both the nature of the product , its safety , it comes to the regulatory status of CBD is , effectiveness and how it’s being marketed . ‘ Does the FDA call it a drug ? ’ ” Josephson “ Like any other product , consumers need to ask a lot of questions and do says . “ It’s a matter of ongoing regulatory their homework about CBD products — the source of the CBD , where it’s being review and the FDA held hearings in late manufactured . Right now it’s very much a regulatory Wild West , ” he continues . SOUTH JERSEY MAGAZINE volume 16 issue 6 SouthJerseyMagazine.com 22 |