What Is CBD? Here's What Marylanders Need To Know
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — CBD or cannabidiol can be found all around Maryland. Sometimes it's infused candy, oil, bath salts or in products marketed as dietary supplements.
In fact, there are nearly 100 dispensaries up and running across Maryland that distribute and sell medical marijuana and CBD products.
There are also companies that sell CBD oil, CBD-infused gummies or foods, and other health-based products, often used to quell anxiety or help someone sleep.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a nonintoxicating cannabinoid found in cannabis and hemp that is sometimes used medicinally. It's also often infused into certain food products or oils.
The products sold in these stores are wholesome hemp properties THC-free products sourced from hemp. Purchasing CBD products is federally legal as long as it doesn't contain more than 0.3 percent of THC, according to the Food & Drug Administration.
The FDA, however, does warn the public they believe some of these products make "questionable health promises about CBD" and there are no other FDA-approved drug products that contain CBD.
Unlike marijuana-based products, hemp-derived CBD oil within the FDA's requirements is fully legal in Maryland.
Under the 2018 Farm Bill, industrial hemp and hemp-derived cannabis extracts are allowed in all 50 states unless the in-state laws say otherwise.
What's The Difference?
CBD oils or products that have less than 0.3 percent of THC are commonly used to help people with anxiety and various health issues.
So, when the FDA says that CBD products aren't considered legal, they are referring to CBD derived from marijuana. It is still illegal to market that type of CBD by adding it to food or labeling it as a dietary supplement, according to the FDA.
There is only one federally legal product in the U.S. derived from marijuana, a prescription drug product to treat two rare, severe forms of epilepsy, according to the FDA.
Where Can I Try It Out Legally?
Buying CBD oil online is easier than it has been in years past, but there are also local shops with CBD-infused products and medical marijuana products if you have a prescription.
Some popular local shops, according to Yelp, include CBD Supply MD in Towson; Innerzen, a vitamins and supplements shop in Hampden; Embrace CBD Wellness Center in Glen Burnie and SoBotanical in Federal Hill, to name the top few.
Essential oil companies have gotten in on the CBD mania, including Young Living, a popular wellness company partnered with Nature's Ultra.
They'll offer uses including quelling your anxiety, helping people sleep easier and even to help your body when working out, often mixing in other scents to make them more appealing to users. Some of these products are even often used on people's pets to help them as well.
Companies like these market the CBD-infused oils as health-based, though the FDA believes these types of products are marketed with unproven medical claims.
The FDA does say CBD has the potential to harm those who use it, adding that while they have not approved any other CBD products other than the one that treats epilepsy- there is very limited available information about CBD, including its effects on the body.
The risks of certain effects the FDA does warn about include liver injury, increased adverse effects or decreased effects of other medications if they interact, changes in testicular size, inhibition of sperm growth and development, as well as decreased circulating testosterone.
They said they are still actively working to learn more about what happens when people access CBD through foods, CBD-infused skin creams and other products regularly. They also are still working to determine how it affects animals, the elderly, children, adolescents, as well as pregnant and lactating women.