Pubdate: Wed, 19 Dec 2018
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN)
Copyright: 2018 Star Tribune
Contact:  http://www.startribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/266
Author: Erica Pearson

CANNABIS FOR CHRISTMAS? IN MINNESOTA, CBD PRODUCTS ARE HOT THIS HOLIDAY

CBD, a cannabis compound, is in everything from gumdrops to bath bombs.

In Maplewood Mall, holiday shoppers pick up CBD tinctures from an
organic hemp farm at the Nothing But Hemp kiosk. Festive gift sets
with CBD-infused body lotions, shampoos and soaps are available a few
miles away at Minnesota Hempdropz. Spot Spa in Minneapolis has CBD oil
massages on its list of services and tries to keep pricey gourmet
gumdrops from "aspirational" CBD purveyor Lord Jones on its shelves.
The problem? They continually sell out.

CBD (a cannabis compound called cannabidiol) is fast on its way to
becoming a sought-after holiday gift - and a $22 billion industry,
according to market research company Brightfield Group.

As the wider movement to legalize cannabis continues to gain traction,
Inc.com recently ranked CBD as one of the eight best industries for
starting a new business in 2019. Even Coca-Cola has admitted it's
interested, saying it is "closely watching the growth of
non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages
around the world."

Proponents say that CBD doesn't get users high, but can provide relief
from anxiety, joint pain, menstrual cramps or migraines. There's also
some evidence that it can be effectively used to treat serious
illnesses, including severe forms of epilepsy.

Much of the research on CBD is in its early stages, however, and there
seems to be little agreement on what it can and can't do, the correct
dosage and whether cannabidiol goods are even legal to sell without a
prescription in Minnesota.

In the meantime, CBD is showing up in everything from sparkling sodas
and cooking oils to mascaras and bath bombs on local store shelves and
readily available online.

Jeremy Current, a stay-at-home dad from New Ulm, Minn., takes 10 mg of
CBD in a drop under his tongue every day.

"It's part of my morning routine. It makes me way less irritable," he
said as he was leaving Nothing But Hemp, which has video screens
declaring "60 is the new 40, and CBD is the new aspirin."

Owner Steven Brown said sales have been brisk since the kiosk opened
last month, even though he's been unable to find a credit card
processor, forcing his business to be cash-only.

Brown stocks oils and gummies from a few high-end companies, including
Montel Williams' Lenitiv line. He said he'd like to carry
Minnesota-grown products, but hasn't found any companies producing CBD
goods locally. (A number of local farms have been legally harvesting
hemp since 2014.)

The compound is also being used by pet owners to treat anxiety, stiff
joints and other ailments in their animals.

This fall, Kate Arends, who runs the lifestyle website Wit and
Delight, became worried about her English lab, Winnie. When Arends'
younger child started crawling, Winnie refused to eat and sat shaking
in a corner of their St. Paul home.

Arends' vet suggested an antidepressant. But after Arends posted her
dog's plight on Instagram, she got an overwhelming number of
suggestions to use something else: CBD treats. Now, Winnie gobbles up
two CBD treats a day.

"I gave her one treat, and she was just like, 'Tail's wagging, just
was handling the chaos,' " said Arends. "This has helped her so
much. So I'm a believer."

Companies making CBD products say they can sell in states where
marijuana is illegal because the extracts they use come from
agricultural hemp, which contains less than 0.3 percent THC, the
mind-altering compound found in pot.

Cody Wiberg, executive director of Minnesota's pharmacy board,
disagrees. So does the Drug Enforcement Administration, which views
CBD as a controlled substance, even as the 2019 farm bill is poised to
legalize industrial hemp.

It's also a matter of debate whether CBD (which can be extracted from
both hemp and marijuana), should be considered a food or cosmetic
ingredient, a dietary supplement or a drug. While many brands
characterize their products as supplements, Wiberg considers the most
popular CBD products on the market - like tinctures and gummies - a
drug.

In an advisory posted on the pharmacy board's website this month,
Wiberg cautioned Minnesota consumers that CBD products are both
illegal to sell and unregulated. Even so, the board isn't going to
prevent their sale in the state unless it discovers that someone is
being harmed by them, Wiberg said.

"At this point the proverbial genie is out of the bottle," he said,
adding that "the scale of the enforcement action that we'd have to
take is beyond our means." Still, he said, "If I thought there was an
immediate, clear and present danger to the public, we would do it anyway."

He worries that some people may use CBD instead of more effective
medical treatments, use the compound without talking to their doctor
about potential reactions to other medications or without knowing
what's in a tincture, gum drop or lotion. (The state's Agriculture
Department has tested a sampling of products and found some that
didn't contain any CBD at all, Wiberg said.)

Around the country, coffee shops are selling CBD-infused cold brews
and "anxiety-melting" lattes, but it may be a while before CBD ends up
on local menus.

What is it? CBD is a chemical compound produced by the cannabis plant.
It's being touted as a natural way to reduce anxiety and treat
migraines, cramps, joint pain and some serious illnesses.

What is it made from? It can be extracted from hemp or marijuana.

Does it make you high? Unlike THC, CBD isn't intoxicating.

So CBD products have no THC? Most of the CBD products for sale in
Minnesota are made from hemp that has less than 0.3 percent THC.

Is CBD legal in Minnesota? Not according to the Minnesota Board of
Pharmacy. But it doesn't appear that officials will be confiscating
jars of CBD gummy bears anytime soon, unless they see evidence of harm.

Minnesota restaurateur Wally Sakallah announced plans this fall for a
Dinkytown CBD coffee shop to be called Cosmic Bean Dispensary. He's
currently reworking the concept after local officials advised him that
it wouldn't pass legal hurdles. The state food code doesn't allow it
because CBD isn't FDA-approved as an additive, said Dan Huff of the
Minneapolis Department of Health.

A wonder drug?

Even as officials debate the compound's legal status, the list of
CBD's potential benefits continues to grow.

Three clinical trials found that it can help stop seizures for people
with certain rare forms of epilepsy. In June, the FDA approved a CBD
syrup called Epidiolex for kids as young as 2 with Dravet syndrome and
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

A host of other clinical trials and studies are underway that, if
conclusive, could promote the cannabis compound to wonder-drug status,
as a treatment for everything from acne to post-traumatic stress
disorder, schizophrenia symptoms, Parkinson's, even cancer.

Much of the scientific research is in its early stages, but many are
clearly already embracing the promise of CBD.

The Colorado-based nonprofit Realm of Caring, which was started by
parents whose kids' seizures dramatically improved after taking CBD,
is working to create a research registry, partnering with the Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine to collect information from tens
of thousands of people (children and adults) who are using it as a
therapy for autism, cerebral palsy and other disorders.

Co-founder Heather Jackson, whose teenage son Zaki takes CBD, says
she's glad the nonintoxicating compound that changed her family's life
is getting so much attention. But the Colorado Springs, Colo., mom
doesn't want people to dismiss it as a fad.

"It's really popular right now," she said. "But if you're wondering if
it's hype or hope, it really is hope."
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MAP posted-by: Matt