Year: 2019

It’s been a busy week in terms of CBD regulation, with the TSA now allowing hemp-derived CBD on flights and the FDA holding its first public hearing to discuss how to approach the topic of CBD supplements and food additives. Also, we learned whether it can be taken into a hotel or not and that patients in Colorado can now choose cannabis as an alternative medication to pain killers. HempSMART literally drops MSRP of their CBD drops by 20%. And, did you know that cannabis is said to date back 28 million years to ancient Tibet?

All that in one week. June promises to be just as newsworthy as July 1st will be the official legalization of state legislation in many states including Florida and Texas. Companies that have been selling CBD products will need to adhere to Quality and 3rd Party Testing to be able to market their products. Great for the consumer interests.

The FDA held its first public hearing to discuss CBD regulations

On Friday, May 31st, the FDA met with hundreds of CBD industry stakeholders to discuss how they should proceed with regulations. This historic meeting lasted nearly 10 hours and included testimony from regulators, health professionals, advocates, opponents, and consumers – most of which encouraged the FDA to speed up their pace in creating appropriate regulatory framework for CBD products. 

 TSA updates policy to allow hemp-derived CBD on flights

Until now, CBD has been banned from American airports due to the strict Schedule 1 status. But recently, the TSA amended their policy to allow hemp-derived CBD products on all domestic and international flights. It’s great news for people who need CBD for medical reasons and were fearful to travel with it. However, unless TSA agents can differentiate between hemp-derived CBD and cannabis-derived CBD, how will this be enforced?

Patients in Colorado can now choose cannabis as alternative medication

The Colorado Assembly just passed the bi-partisan, Senate Bill 13 which allows patients to choose medical cannabis as an alternative option to pharmaceutical drugs. This comes in the wake of the opioid epidemic, which has reached epic proportions. It’s believed cannabis can help manage pain and keep people off prescription pills, and Colorado isn’t the first state to draft this type of legislation.

Are there any negative side-effects from using CBD?

CBD has been known to help people find relief when they need it most. It’s used regularly to treat a huge range of conditions including anxiety, Multiple Sclerosis, insomnia, and even rare forms of childhood epilepsy. It’s said to be abundant, effective, and completely natural. By and far, CBD has been working well for the majority of people who use it. But are there any negative side effects from using it regularly?

Can you take cannabis to hotels in legal states?

Cannabis has been under prohibition for decades, and as such, the newfound legalization has raised many questions. For example, how do vacations work? Can you bring cannabis in a hotel room in a legal state? Typically, cannabis can only be consumed on private property, but as more states and countries continue to legalize, accommodations need to be made for those who have to travel regularly.

New study traces cannabis back 28 million years to Tibet

A new study published in the Journal of Vegetation and Archaeobotany traced the cannabis plant back to its proverbial roots to find its most ancient descendant. Their research led them all the way to a specific area of the Tibetan Plateau 28 million years ago. The paper is titled “Cannabis in Asia: Its center of origin and early cultivation, based on a synthesis of subfossil pollen and archaeobotanical studies.”

Start your morning off right with a hot cup of CBD coffee

For millions of people out there, the day doesn’t even begin until they’ve had their cup of coffee in the morning. And now that CBD has become so popular for its various medical benefits, it makes perfect sense that these two amazing compounds have joined forces. Nowadays you can find CBD-infused coffee beans and cafes that offer a few drops of CBD oil in their cappuccinos, or you can get some tincture and make some at home every morning!

More pet owners are turning to CBD to treat their furry friends’ ailments

With the numerous health benefits touted by CBD, it’s no surprise that people are inclined to give it to their struggling pets. Although studies are limited, the few available indicate that CBD could be good for dogs, cats and horses because, just like humans, all mammals have an endocannabinoid system. You can even find some veterinarian-certified products on the market if you know where to look.

Why you should never give THC to your pets

Although CBD has been taking the veterinary industry by storm, THC is an entirely different story. Tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component in the cannabis plant, is said to produce some extremely uncomfortable and potentially dangerous side effects in animals, especially cats and dogs. The end result is referred to by some as “marijuana toxicity” and experts say it’s on the rise. 

HempSMART – Announces 20% Price Drops For CDB Drops

HempSMART, A Subsidiary of Marijuana Company Of America *(MCOA) announced Friday a 20% Price Reduction in their Full Spectrum CDB Drops with NO THC in their 250mg and 500mg sizes. This reduction also applies to their Pet Drops. (Drops are flavored for individual preferences). Douglas Skordal, U.S. Director of Operations, made  the announcement in a closed meeting with associates in a strategic move to make their Premium CBD Products more competitive for their customer base and allow for the public community to embrace CBD and it’s ever increasing popularity. Mr. Skordal also detailed enhanced benefits to those who wish to become a part of the skyrocketing sales aspect of their products. Since the announcement was made, sales growth and onboarding of new associates has made for a potentially Record Breaking Month, according to available projections.

My Personal Interest in this company stems from my personal interactions and positive results by using HempSMART Products. This Link Provided is for those over 21, who wish to purchase CBD Products or wish to Learn More about how You Can Become Involved in an Rewarding and Beneficial Company. Steven Smith #1274

A University of Colorado Cancer Center study presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2019 shows that while 73 percent of surveyed oncology providers believe that medical marijuana provides benefits for cancer patients, only 46 percent are comfortable recommending it. Major concerns included uncertain dosing, limited knowledge of available products and where to get them, and possible interactions with other medications.

 

“I think in some cases we’re missing out on providing a useful tool. Providers think it has benefit, but aren’t comfortable recommending it,” says Ashley E. Glode, PharmD, assistant professor at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the study’s first author.

Survey respondents included 48 specialized oncologists, 47 physicians, 53 registered nurses, 17 pharmacists, and 7 “other” oncology providers. Seventy-nine percent reported that educational programs both during training and as continuing medical education courses could increase their comfort level with medical marijuana prescribing. Interestingly, 68 percent of providers reported receiving information about medical marijuana from their patients – the next most common sources of information were news media (accessed by 55 percent of providers), and other providers (53 percent).

“We asked and most providers didn’t train in a state where medical marijuana was legal. We need to adapt our healthcare education to include this, and also offer trainings on medical marijuana to current providers,” Glode says.

Providers also reported legal and regulatory concerns, especially providers working in academic medical centers who expressed uncertainty whether recommending medical marijuana could jeopardize federal funding (marijuana remains a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency Schedule 1 drug). Providers felt as if additional clinical data describing the effectiveness of medical marijuana and endorsed guidelines describing the conditions and situations in which it should be used would increase their comfort in prescribing.

“Still, the biggest issue that providers saw is the lack of certainty in dosing,” Glode says. “The issue is it’s not regulated – a dispensary might say a product has this much THC and this much CBD, but no one is testing that for sure. Limited data suggest that patients should start low and slow, no more than 10mg of THC in a dose, but we don’t know that’s what patients are really getting. Then from a consumption perspective, inhalation and smoking is the least preferred due to possible damage to the lung. So many doctors recommend edibles, oils, and tinctures, but we still don’t have good data comparing dosage across these forms.”

Glode and study colleagues including Stephen Leong, MD, hope to expand the survey to gather a more nationally representative sample.

“Knowledge is an issue,” Glode says. “If we could do a better job educating our healthcare providers, it might be used more often and potentially more safely.”

Article by University of Colorado.

For Information on Full Spectrum CBD that is THC Free – 3rd Party Testing Results – Happiness Guaranteed – Personal Consultant to Answer Your Questions

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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) updated its policy on cannabis over the Memorial Day weekend, changing the medical marijuana section of its “What Can I Bring?” webpage from reading “no” to “yes” (with “special instructions”).

Specifically, the agency is clarifying that hemp-derived CBD products may now be carried on planes under certain circumstances.

Previously, TSA made no distinction between marijuana and hemp-derived preparations and warned on its website that cannabis products cannot be taken as carry-on items or in checked bags. But since the 2018 Farm Bill, that’s no longer the case.

Now the agency’s webpage specifies that possession of “certain” cannabis products are illegal under federal law, and TSA agents are required to report suspected violations such as possession of “certain” products to law enforcement.

It’s not clear how the agency plans to enforce the new policy, unless it intends to train agents to test CBD preparations for the presence of THC and maintain a database of products that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

A TSA spokesperson told Marijuana Moment in an email that the policy change was spurred by FDA’s approval of a cannabis-derived anti-seizure medication, Epidiolex.

“TSA was made aware of an FDA-approved drug that contains CBD oil for children who experience seizures from pediatric epilepsy,” the spokesperson wrote. “To avoid confusion as to whether families can travel with this drug, TSA immediately updated TSA.gov once we became aware of the issue.”

But FDA approved the CBD prescription drug nearly a year ago—calling into question the notion that TSA acted “immediately.”

And the representative was not immediately able to comment on part of the TSA website update that now references the broader legalization of hemp-derived CBD under the Farm Bill, which was enacted in December.

The rest of the TSA page on cannabis mostly retains language from the earlier version. The agency’s efforts are “focused on security and are designed to detect potential threats to aviation and passengers,” it says, so it doesn’t use resources to seek out illicit drugs.

However, “if any illegal substance is discovered during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer.”

TSA has gone back-and-forth on its marijuana policy as more states opt to legalize the plant for medical or adult use. In April 2017, the agency took advocates by surprise after it updated the medical marijuana section of the “What Can I Bring?” page to include a green “yes,” indicating that medical cannabis was permitted in carry ons or checked bags.

“TSA security officers do not search for marijuana or other drugs,” the page said at the time. “In the event a substance that appears to be marijuana is observed during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer.”

But shortly after the page started attracting press attention, TSA temporarily removed the medical cannabis section and tweeted that a “mistake was made in the database.”

The agency later posted an updated version of the page, which specified that marijuana was not in fact allowed on planes.

“Whether or not marijuana is considered legal under local laws is not relevant to TSA screening because TSA is governed by federal law,” TSA wrote. “Federal law provides no basis to treat medical marijuana any differently than non-medical marijuana.”

But with the legalization of industrial hemp and its derivatives, multiple federal agencies are now revisiting their policies to clarify what is and isn’t allowed.

Both the FDA and the USDA are in the process of developing broader regulatory guidelines for hemp and its derivatives, with the FDA set to hold a public hearing on the issue this Friday, May 31st, 2019.