National think tank, Third Way, recently hosted a panel discussion on the health potential of CBD. Healthcare experts and consumer advocates, including National Consumers League Executive Director Sally Greenberg, Center for Science in the Public Interest’s Laura MacCleery, and GW Pharmaceuticals Dr. Volker Knappertz spoke about the future of CBD from scientific, policy, and consumer perspectives.
The CBD marketplace is growing rapidly and remains largely unregulated. Greenberg cautioned that despite wide-spread use and availability, the FDA has said that CBD is not generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use in human or animal food. “The vast majority [of CBD products] are not proven to be safe or effective and don’t have an ounce of science behind them,” Greenberg said.
MacCleery echoed Greenberg’s concerns, cautioning unassuming consumers about the dangers of CBD being marketed as a “cure-all,” primarily due to the lack of quality assurance. She said that we are “missing the right tools to deal with this at the federal level.”
Dr. Knappertz addressed how CBD, THC (the chemical responsible for the psychoactive effects of marijuana), and cannabis interact with various parts of the brain. Knappertz shed light on the rigorous process, including clinical trials and decades of research and development that went into getting GW’s Epidiolex approved for use.
Watch the panel discussion here: