Lord Jones Releases an Extra-Strong CBD Tincture and Limited-Edition Summer Gumdrops – Forbes

Sweet temptations:  Lord Jones just released limited-edition CBD gumdrops—and an extra potent CBD tincture.

Photo: Lord Jones

When I first started taking CBD to manage my lower back pain, I didn’t know much about the efficacy of tinctures and balms. This was long before I started microdosing THC. So to begin, I experimented with tasty CBD edibles. My favorite in those days—and among my top choices today—was one 20mg Lord Jones old-fashioned gumdrop before bedtime. On some days, I’d mix things up and indulge—with the luxury cannabis brand’s dark chocolate chews. Even now, I’m quite enjoying the just-released limited-edition summer flavors: red raspberry and white peach.

Eventually, after talking to some industry experts and a few doctors, I broadened my horizons and ventured into the world of tinctures. Apparently, they’re more bioavailable than something chewable—which can take up to two hours for the body to metabolize. And because edibles pass through your digestive system and liver, the body often ends up with only a fraction of the dosage of the edible.

Fruit forward: Lord Jones also released two limited-edition flavors for summer: red raspberry and white peach (above).

Photo: Lord Jones

Tinctures, on the other hand, are best consumed sublingually—meaning you hold it under the tongue for a minute or so before swallowing. This method lets the CBD enter your bloodstream directly. The result? Faster absorption and increased efficacy.

So I started with Lord Jones’ CBD tincture in lemon, which contains 250mg per bottle—and dispenses around 10mg per full dropper. But several weeks ago, the brand released an even better (read: more potent) multi-use formula in its new Royal Oil tincture.

A bottle of the stuff contains 1,000mg of CBD—with each dropper delivering 40mg of liquid. But that’s not the best part. What makes it so great is the purity of the product, which only contains two ingredients—broad spectrum olive oil suspended in grapeseed oil. And get this: It can be used in so many different ways.

California Dreamers: Robert Rosenheck and Cindy Capobianco, founders of Lord Jones.

Photo: Lord Jones

“Our Lord Jones community is incredibly vocal about the ways in which they use our products to address everything from sleep issues to aches, pains, and anxiety. The Royal Oil came out of some of our customers looking for a higher dose product,” says Lord Jones cofounder and CEO Robert Rosenheck. “While we thought most of our users were taking our existing tinctures sublingually, we learned that some were applying it topically to address joint pain or skin conditions. Some users were infusing their beverages with our existing products—but wanted to find an unflavored option. Lord Jones Royal Oil provides our users with our most potent multi-purpose broad spectrum phytocannabinoid-rich product to date that can be used as a tincture, a topical, or a beverage booster.”

On the Dose: Lord Jones’ broad spectrum Royal Oil contains 1,000mg of CBD—with each dropper delivering 40mg.

Photo: Lord Jones

Even the fact that it uses grapeseed oil as a delivery vehicle for CBD is fascinating, mainly because it’s quite uncommon. “We selected grape seed oil as our carrier knowing how many of our users apply our products topically,” Rosenheck says. “Grape seed oil is high in antioxidants, Omega-6 fatty acids, and contains a significant amount of Vitamin E—which helps promote skin health in conjunction with the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD. We crafted our Lord Jones Royal Oil to appeal to the CBD purist who is looking for the ultimate all-purpose supplement, free of colorings and additives.”

The incredible versatility of the oil as a topical is also quite impressive: Rosenheck notes that many customers apply it to the stomach to ease menstrual cramps. Some use it as a beauty booster of sorts, incorporating a few drops to facial creams and serums to get the anti-inflammatory benefits of CBD. Others who experience pain and inflammation apply it to smaller target areas.

As for me, I’m thrilled with the results of keeping up with the Lord Joneses.

Cannabis Companies Push F.D.A. to Ease Rules on CBD Products – The New York Times

WASHINGTON — It was Hempy Pet CBD Soft Chews, Mile High Labs and Women Grow, among countless others, squaring off against the likes of the Marijuana Victims Alliance, concerned primary care doctors and a lawyer who admitted he couldn’t wait to sue — all jammed into an overflowing auditorium for hours Friday on the Food and Drug Administration campus.

F.D.A. hearings are usually tedious affairs. But this one — called to begin the process of figuring out which products in the burgeoning cannabis industry can be legally sold in the United States — was the hottest ticket in the capital. More than 400 applicants, from the U.S. Hemp Roundtable to blue chip law firms, had petitioned the agency for a chance to testify. It had to create a complex lottery system to whittle down the list to a lucky 120.

Each was given either two or five minutes to make a case to the presiding panel of top F.D.A. officials, amounting to an all-day volley of claims and counterclaims over matters of safety, efficacy and good vibes.

From Susan Cromer, of LilyHemp (Infused Herbal Goodness): “I have been privileged, awed and at times brought to tears by the positive changes CBD has brought to my customers’ lives.”

From Michelle Peace, an assistant professor of forensic science at Virginia Commonwealth University: “We have seen a rash of reports nationwide from people being poisoned from taking CBD products.”

From David Evans, a lawyer for Cannabis Industry Victims Educating Litigators, who noted he has 1,000 cases pending against the opioid industry: “If our dreams come true, we’ll have the same thing going against the marijuana industry in a year or two.”

The F.D.A. has been skeptical of the rapidly growing cannabis industry, but it is under increasing pressure from Congress to ease the path to market for cannabis-derived products. These products are different from medical marijuana, which a growing number of states allow for treating severe pain, nausea and other ailments. Conservative estimates predict that sales of CBD in the United States could be $16 billion by 2025.

Image

CBD chocolates on display at the Big Industry Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The F.D.A. has been skeptical of the compound’s benefits.CreditRichard Vogel/Associated Press

Many cannabis companies are already selling cannabis products ranging from soft drinks to bath salts in stores and online, but the F.D.A. will eventually decide whether they can continue to do so. Though CBD is not currently allowed in dietary supplements or foods, the F.D.A. had tended to overlook these infractions.

Most of the academic researchers who spoke at the hearing agreed that CBD had potential health benefits, but many also argued that more clinical trials were needed before a sound decision could be made on whether to let CBD get further into the food supply. Numerous speakers cited problems with adulterated CBD products, found to include pesticides, lead or other metals; inconsistent CBD levels leading customers to take too high a dose and get sick; and research indicating a potential for liver problems and other adverse events when taking CBD. The potential for addiction was also raised.

Cannabis is a plant family that includes hemp and marijuana, which have more than 80 biologically active chemical compounds. The most commonly known are tetrahydrocannabinol, which is a psychoactive chemical, and cannabidiol, which does not produce the high that THC does.

For many years, the federal government deemed both plants to be controlled substances. The 2018 farm bill removed hemp and derivatives like CBD from the controlled substance list, as long as products containing them didn’t have more than 0.3 percent THC. But the law preserved the F.D.A.’s authority to regulate cannabis compounds.

The World Health Organization said last year that CBD is generally well tolerated, with a good safety profile and no addictive effects. It also noted the potential for adverse effects caused by interactions between CBD and medications people may be taking.

In the United States, health agencies have called for more research into potential therapeutic uses, as well as into health risks. The F.D.A. has taken a harder line, pointing out the lack of quality control in the field and stressing the absence of data proving that CBD products are safe, whether they work and what the proper dosages may be if they do work.

“I don’t think that CBD is doing anything approximating what people are purporting is its magic quality,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who stepped down as F.D.A. commissioner in April, said in an interview. “It’s a real safety issue here. There are risks of accumulated effects. It’s not a completely benign compound.”

Oversight of cannabis is complex and crosses three federal agencies. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration issues registrations for growing and processing marijuana for medical research. The Department of Agriculture is developing a plan to regulate hemp, although the states may also do so if they meet certain criteria.

A CBD-themed cafe in Queens, N.Y.CreditBrendan Mcdermid/Reuters

The F.D.A. regulates drugs, including those derived from marijuana, and it can also take enforcement action against companies selling foods or dietary supplements that have CBD or THC ingredients, which are considered drugs. But it has done so sparingly, only in cases where the companies have made what were considered outrageous health claims for their products, such as claiming they cure cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and other illnesses.

The hearing on Friday was a first step in what is likely to be a long process to define a legal path to market for CBD products that the agency considers safe.

“Congress had the expectation that CBD from hemp would be able to be put in the food supply when they passed the farm bill,” Dr. Gottlieb said. “But it very explicitly preserved F.D.A.’s authority, so the F.D.A. has to create a framework for it to be contemplated as a component in food.”

How it will do so has occupied many Washington lawyers for the past few months. A recent CBD seminar at the annual Food and Drug Law Institute conference was standing room only. Law firms have been giving webinars for their clients, trying to help them straddle the line between getting too far out in front of the regulations and landing in jail, or missing the chance to claim a strong place in the market.

“This is a new gold rush,” said Marc Scheineson, a lawyer with Alston & Bird in Washington, D.C., who represents a company that makes synthetic pharmaceutical-grade CBD. “The horse is so far out of the corral here that it will be interesting to see what F.D.A. decides to do — or can do at this point.”

Mr. Scheineson suggested the F.D.A. might use its regulation of folic acid as a road map for CBD. Consumers can buy folic acid, a B vitamin, over the counter for some uses, but it must be prescribed by doctors at higher concentrations.

The agency could also require businesses to submit a petition demonstrating safety.

Jonathan Miller, a lawyer for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a coalition of dozens of hemp companies, told the F.D.A. panel that CBD is safe but called on the agency to police the bad players in the industry.

“Our enemy is not the F.D.A.,” Mr. Miller said in an interview before the hearing. “Our enemies are CBD companies that make false claims or sell products that are bad.”

For his part, Dr. Gottlieb took special issue with CBD for pets.

“Putting CBD into pet food is absurd,” he said.

Are High-CBD Hemp Flowers the Next Big Thing in Cannabis? – Leafly

Pirate (not his real name) has been working with cannabis his entire adult life, a trajectory that took him from getting his fingernails dirty at a clandestine outdoor grow in the underground economy to serving patients as part of California’s gray market in medical marijuana, and then on into a job at a state-licensed cannabis dispensary.

So he’s kinda seen it all.

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Except now he’s in a whole new field—an Oregon hemp field to be exact—working for a company that grows, markets, and distributes a product you probably haven’t encountered yet. But you may soon, because 2019 is going to be a bumper crop for high-CBD hemp flower.

“It’s mind-blowing,” Pirate tells me. “Some of my mentors from when I was an outdoor grower are now asking for advice on how to set themselves up as CBD hemp farmers.”

Now, no doubt you’ve heard plenty about CBD by now. It’s trendy! It’s helps children with severe seizure disorders. It’s in capsules, oils, vape pens, gummies, coffee, salves, rubs, and lotions. Hell, it’s even been infused into a corporate hamburger!

But what you probably don’t realize is that you can also buy cannabis flowers (aka “buds”) that test at over 15% CBD but still qualify as hemp because they’re less than 0.3% THC. And those buds are being sold over the internet, with free shipping to (almost) all 50 states.

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Sound too good to be true? Just follow one of these links:

Spreading by Word of Mouth

It’s not hard to understand why someone would want to buy this product—it looks, smells, tastes, and smokes like high-THC cannabis, without the high, but with all the health benefits of CBD. Pirate tells me he interacts with hundreds of customers every day, and not surprisingly, CBD-rich hemp flower has been most in demand in states that still prohibit high-THC cannabis.

Growers of THC-rich cannabis in Oregon are sitting on a six-year surplus, which they can’t ship across state lines, even to another state where cannabis is fully legal.

“Everybody knows that cannabis is legal and accessible in certain parts of the country, and yet there’s all kinds of people still disenfranchised from the culture,” he said. “They tell me that they can’t get any weed, or the only weed they can get is terrible, super expensive, or both.”

Pirate says business where he works has been booming from the moment the company put up a website last year. And all by word of mouth.

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“This space is barely even regulated, and start-up costs are incredibly low compared to a recreational or medicinal grow,” he said. “Meanwhile, every customer I talk to about their order tells me that they are going to tell every one of their friends.”

Compare that to Oregon’s other legal cannabis market, where growers of THC-rich cannabis are sitting on a six-year surplus, which they absolutely can’t ship across state lines, even to another state where cannabis is fully legal—all while they continue to face all the steep compliance costs and regulatory burdens that come with trafficking in a drug that’s federally illegal.

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No wonder so many old-school OG outdoor growers report feeling backed into a corner, where the only viable options are to sell out, drop out, or slide back into the underground. And then they run the numbers on growing high-CBD hemp, and realize the grass is a lot greener on the other side of the fence.

What Gives?

So how did we go from an all-out ban on hemp cultivation in the United States to a seeming free-for-all where you can grow fields of the stuff and ship it all over the country?

We got here little by little, and then all at once—as reported by Leafly in a December 2018 article headlined Hemp Is Finally Legal. Let’s See if It Can Save the World.

The 2014 Farm Bill officially ended hemp prohibition by allowing farmers in a small number of states to grow limited crops for research purposes. This year, just 77,000 acres were planted, but that number will likely skyrocket next year when [thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill] almost all federal impediments to hemp farming fall.

According to the Brightfield Group, a market research firm specializing in CBD, the hemp-derived CBD market is already growing far faster than the legal weed market, and with domestic hemp cultivation now legal, they predict that by 2022 it will be a $22 billion dollar industry.

The legality of CBD commerce remains somewhat murky, but that hasn’t stopped the impending boom of hemp-derived products.

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Farmers vs. Pharma

Seth Crawford started Oregon CBD in 2015 with his brother Eric. Between them they have over 30 years of experience as cannabis cultivators and researchers, encompassing everything from small closet grows to advanced breeding programs. They’ve also been pioneers in developing new terpene-rich hemp varieties that produce large amounts of CBD and other cannabinoids, as Seth explains to Leafly:

“We understood very early on that if we were successful in isolating those compounds through traditional breeding techniques, then under the industrial hemp bill we’d be able to make them available to basically everybody in the world. We’d also be able to produce at scale and without canopy restrictions, which is very unlike any of the recreational or medical cannabis regulations.”

And so they began growing out thousands of plants, testing them all for their cannabinoid and terpene content, and keeping meticulous notes.

“You have to sift through many plants before you find the needle in the haystack that you’re looking for, and then you have to have a structured breeding program in place to be able to lock in those traits.”

Seth Crawford, Oregon CBD

“You really do have to sift through that many plants before you find the needle in the haystack that you’re looking for, and then you have to have a structured breeding program in place to be able to lock in those traits,” he said. “Right now, industrial hemp is almost entirely devoted to CBD production, but that’s only one of a number of different useful compounds that people will soon have access to.”

Crawford says that so far this year Oregon CBD has seen an 11-fold increase in planned acreage among companies that buy their seeds, which cost $1 each (minimum order 5,000 seeds), produce almost exclusively female plants, and are totally sold out for 2019.

Like I said, it’s going to be a bumper crop.

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Seth and Eric started Oregon CBD with basically no resources besides their personal savings and their sweat equity, and have in the last five years independently built a business with the capacity to produce and ship 50 million seeds per year. Which sounds like a fairly vast hempire, until you consider that their end goal is not just breeding new strains and selling billions of seeds, but also taking on Big Pharma and winning.

As someone who “understands the implications of late-stage capitalism, particularly the tendency towards monopolization,” Seth Crawford is worried that the power of the plant could fall into the wrong hands. For example, a British pharmaceutical company that’s spent the last 20 years developing prescription drugs out of THC, CBD, and a host of other beneficial compounds derived from the cannabis plant.

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“GW Pharmaceuticals is the only other company with these compounds isolated, and they have absolutely no intention of making them available to people outside of the pharmaceutical system. So our goal is to empower farmers to make these compounds directly available to people through a different supply channel.”

Taking Sour Space Candy for a Spin

In the name of participatory journalism, I accessed the Tweedle Farms website and headed straight to the online menu. Tweedle co-founder James Green says they typically have about 15 different kinds of CBD-rich flowers available, with prices averaging around $8 a gram and free shipping on orders of $45 or more. You can also get an ounce of “smalls” for $60.

Each strain comes with detailed information on its lineage, cannabinoid content, terpene profile, and aroma. After some browsing I settle on Sour Space Candy, Hawaiian Haze, and Berry Blossom.

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When they arrive in the mail, they look like three eighths you might have gotten at a medical cannabis dispensary circa 2010. The strain names are written on the bags with a sharpie, which in an age of over-branded legal weed is actually kind of refreshing. It also partially explains why shipments of CBD-rich hemp flowers occasionally get seized by the authorities.

Sour Space Candy is a descendent of Lawrence Ringo’s original Sour Tsunami (a legendary game-changing high-CBD strain), with a cannabinoid content of 16.52% CBDA and 0.08% THC. It has a pleasant citrus flavor, with myrcene, farnesene, caryophyllene, and bisabolol as the dominant terpenes.

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I roll some up and there’s really no way to distinguish it from really good outdoor bud. At least not until I smoke it and don’t get high. That said, taking in all that CBD feels pleasantly sedative.

I kick back, relax and think about vast fields of hemp covering this country from sea to shining sea.

Surprise! Illinois Becomes the 11th Cannabis Legalization State! – Leafly

In a dramatic, come-from-behind upset over the state of New York, the massive Midwest state of Illinois finished work on a bill to legalize cannabis for adults and sent it to Governor J.B. Pritzker for signing today.

This afternoon, the Illinois House passed HB 1438 to legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older on a 66 to 47 vote. The bill had already passed the Senate and just needs Gov. Pritzker’s signature to become law.

Gov. Pritzker has said he’ll sign the bill, stating: “The state of Illinois just made history, legalizing adult-use cannabis with the most equity-centric approach in the nation. This will have a transformational impact on our state, creating opportunity in the communities that need it most and giving so many a second chance.”

“In the interest of equity and criminal justice reform, I look forward to signing this monumental legislation,” Gov. Pritzker tweeted this afternoon.

Adults 21 and older can legally hold up to a 30-day supply of cannabis (one ounce), and tourists can legally hold 15 grams.

Those with past convictions for possession of less than 30 grams of cannabis can get their records cleared.

The system is similar to other states, with licensed adult-use retail outlets. Adult-use cannabis sales could net Illinois about $500 million annually.

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Drug law reformers celebrated the crucial win in the Midwest, but said more work needs to be done after legislative compromises.

“Cannabis criminalization in Illinois is coming to an end. While this bill isn’t perfect, it does provide a pathway for adults to legally obtain and consume cannabis. It also expands access and rights for qualified medical patients. Importantly, the bill provides much needed relief to those most harmed by the legacy of prohibition and emphasizes giving those who have been most harmed by cannabis criminalization preference in establishing a foothold in this new industry,” said Illinois NORML Executive Director Dan Linn.

“We are confident that this is the best bill we could get through the legislature at this time, but are adamant that Illinois must enact additional protections in the future, in particular the right of adults to homegrow personal use amounts of cannabis,” he added.

“Today’s outcome is the result of years of volunteers educating the public and lobbying lawmakers in Illinois. This process has not been easy, but it does reflect what dedicated citizens can accomplish if they engage in the political process,” concluded Linn.

“We’re going to be able to look back five years from now and see that the quality of life in disadvantaged communities has been made better because of this legislation,” said Chicago NORML Executive Director Edie Moore.

Ben & Jerry’s isn’t selling CBD-infused products (yet) but other companies are. Here’s why – BurlingtonFreePress.com

Ever since states like Vermont have passed marijuana legalization, the free market has responded to the increasing demand with countless products. That’s included the use of cannabidiol in several items. Better known as CBD, it’s a non-intoxicating form of cannabis that derives from hemp. 

Industry analysts predict that the U.S. hemp-derived CBD market will reach $591 million this year and skyrocket to $22 billion by 2022. Ben & Jerry’s wants to get in on that action, too, and recently announced their desire to begin selling CBD-infused ice cream.

„We are committed to bringing CBD-infused ice cream to your freezer as soon as it’s legalized at the federal level,” the company said in a statement.

But several companies nationwide and some in Vermont, already sell these types of products. Here’s a few:

CBD in coffee, tea

Several shops in downtown Burlington already have CBD options. At Maglianero Cafe and Cosmic Grind, customers can get a shot of CBD in their drinks. CBD derived from Colorado and Vermont grown hemp flowers are used in a tea sold at Dobra Tea.

California company KickBack also sells a cold coffee and tea and a ground coffee infused with the ingredient. They describe their products as providing a „function chill” to allow people to feel relaxed and energized. Such a claim has yet to be verified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

CBD in seltzer

Fruity flavors are present in drinks like Bimble Dram, Recess, and Sprig, all brands of sparkling waters that contain CBD. The companies use 20 to 25 milligrams of the ingredient in their 12-ounce drinks.

There’s also Queen City Hemp, who uses only 5 milligrams. The company that sells CBD-infused seltzer isn’t from Burlington, though. They’re from Cincinnati, that other Queen City).

CBD in burgers

Fast food chain Carl’s Jr. did this on just one day in April (we don’t have to tell which day, do we?). The burger used a „Santa Fe sauce” that was infused with CBD and was sold at a Denver store.

“CBD is one of the hottest culinary trends right now, and what better place to test this new burger than in Denver, a city that has been a trailblazer in the CBD movement,” restaurant spokeswoman Candice Jacobson said.

There’s no indication if the chain will reintroduce the burger, but a Denver food truck reportedly is making burgers and tacos infused with the ingredient.

CBD in ice cream

Ben & Jerry’s wouldn’t be the first. A cafe in North Carolina began selling CBD-infused ice cream last year. The dessert was made from hemp milk.

“We steep the flowers in the ice cream before you churn it, so it extracts the CBD oil,” The Hop Ice Cream Cafe owner Ashley Garrison told Green Rush Daily. „Then we add just a little bit of vanilla.”

Why is this so complicated? Enter the FDA and interstate commerce

Marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I controlled substance by the federal government, but a bill signed last year by President Trump removed some restrictions. 

The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp (cannabis with less than 0.3 percent THC), opening the door for the rush of CBD-infused products, but the FDA has said that it considers CBD-infused food products illegal to sell across state lines because CBD is an active ingredient in some drugs. However, they have not enforced this strongly and different states have taken different approaches. 

In Vermont, hemp is legally allowed to be „grown as a crop, produced, possessed, and commercially traded in the state.”

The industry has gone to great lengths to market the health benefits of CBD-products but the FDA hasn’t agreed, even after the Farm Bill’s signing.

„Selling unapproved products with unsubstantiated therapeutic claims is not only a violation of the law, but also can put patients at risk, as these products have not been proven to be safe or effective,” a letter from the department read.

While seltzers and ice creams are still being sold, some companies’ attempts to use the ingredient have been nixed. Last year, Long Trail Brewing unveiled cans of Medicator beer that included Vermont-grown hemp. They were told to cease production by another department: The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

The reasoning was due to a rule regulating government approval of “non-standard” beer ingredients. The brewery said it didn’t believe it had to submit a request to the agency because they were only selling the beer on-site and not sending it over state lines.

FDA hearing on CBD held May 31

Questions about such products could get answers soon. The FDA is holding a hearing on the legalization of such products Friday. In response, Ben & Jerry’s has asked those who want their CBD-infused product to submit comments to the FDA.

„We really need the FDA to join in and help us lay a path toward a regulated legal product,” U.S. Hemp Roundtable general counsel Jonathan Miller told NPR.

FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless noted questions about the quantity of the product that would be considered safe for pregnant women and children at the start of hearing.

Researchers, businesses and consumer advocates urged the agency to move quickly on regulating the product as it raises concerns about the accuracy of current product labels.

Nate Chute is a producer with the USA Today Network. Follow him on Twitter at @nchute.

Is CBD legal? FDA holds hearing as fans, sellers await legal clarity – USA TODAY

SILVER SPRING, Md. – CBD products have surged in popularity despite confusion around their legal status. Now U.S. regulators are exploring ways the hemp ingredient might officially be allowed in food, drinks and dietary supplements.

The Food and Drug Administration held a hearing Friday to collect information about cannabis compounds such as CBD, which is already available in candy, syrups, oils, drinks, skin patches and dog food.

No decisions are expected immediately, but the hearing is seen as an important step toward clarifying regulations around the ingredient.

„There is mass confusion in the marketplace,” said Peter Matz of the Food Marketing Institute, one of dozens of speakers who addressed the FDA panel.

More: Cannabis food, drinks to be 2019’s hottest dining trend, top chefs say

Related: Ben & Jerry’s wants to make CBD-infused ice cream

Other speakers including academic researchers, businesses and consumer advocates urged the FDA to move quickly, noting that the industry is growing rapidly with little oversight. That is raising concerns about the accuracy of product labels and people not realizing how much they may be consuming through various products.

Before the hearing began, acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless noted critical questions remain about the safety of CBD, such as how much is safe to use daily and the compound’s effects on pregnant women and children.

CBD often comes from a cannabis plant known as hemp, which is defined by the U.S. government as having less than 0.3% THC, the compound that causes marijuana’s mind-altering effect. CBD doesn’t cause that high, but fans of the products claim benefits including relief for pain and anxiety.

For now, the FDA has said CBD is not allowed in food, drinks and supplements. But given the agency’s limited resources, many do not expect the agency to enforce the position unless products make explicit health claims that could endanger people.

Adding to the confusion, some states like Colorado allow it in food and drinks. In New York City, where officials have warned it’s not allowed in food and drinks, restaurants and stores have continued selling it.

Amid 'mass confusion’ on popular CBD products’ legal status, Feds hold hearing – USA TODAY

SILVER SPRING, Md. — CBD products have surged in popularity despite confusion around their legal status. Now U.S. regulators are exploring ways the hemp ingredient might officially be allowed in food, drinks and dietary supplements.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration held a hearing Friday to collect information about cannabis compounds such as CBD, which is already available in candy, syrups, oils, drinks, skin patches and dog food.

No decisions are expected immediately, but the hearing is seen as an important step toward clarifying regulations around the ingredient.

„There is mass confusion in the marketplace,” said Peter Matz of the Food Marketing Institute, one of dozens of speakers who addressed the FDA panel.

More: Cannabis food, drinks to be 2019’s hottest dining trend, top chefs say

Related: Ben & Jerry’s wants to make CBD-infused ice cream

Other speakers including academic researchers, businesses and consumer advocates urged the FDA to move quickly, noting that the industry is growing rapidly with little oversight. That is raising concerns about the accuracy of product labels and people not realizing how much they may be consuming through various products.

Before the hearing began, acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless noted critical questions remain about the safety of CBD, such as how much is safe to use daily and the compound’s effects on pregnant women and children.

CBD often comes from a cannabis plant known as hemp, which is defined by the U.S. government as having less than 0.3% THC, the compound that causes marijuana’s mind-altering effect. CBD doesn’t cause that high, but fans of the products claim benefits including relief for pain and anxiety.

For now, the FDA has said CBD is not allowed in food, drinks and supplements. But given the agency’s limited resources, many do not expect the agency to enforce the position unless products make explicit health claims that could endanger people.

Adding to the confusion, some states like Colorado allow it in food and drinks. In New York City, where officials have warned it’s not allowed in food and drinks, restaurants and stores have continued selling it.

As CBD Oils Become More Popular, The FDA Considers Whether To Set New Rules – NPR

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Focus V Carta Vaporizer: An Objective Review – The Weed Blog

The Focus V Carta is a portable dab rig.

Just recently, Focus V released one of the most advanced innovations the vaping industry has ever seen.

The Carta Vape Rig is Focus V’s latest offering and is set on taking the portable dab rig platform by storm. It’s packed with the best vape tech that’s designed and engineered for optimum wax and herb consumption. While it’s built with complex and advanced technology, Focus V’s development team made sure that use and operation is still easy and straightforward. All these things make the Focus V Carta Vape Rig the portable dab rig to look out for.

Notable Features

It’s true that the portable dab rig platform is fairly new, with some players and products from well-known brands, established companies, and manufacturers gaining the lead in the portable rig category. However, the Focus V Carta Vaporizer was made to compete against the biggest names in the industry and is geared towards rising against the toughest of competition.

The Focus V Carta Vape Rig provides users power and reliability native only to desktop units. Devices that are known for their ability to produce and deliver the best vapors, desktop vaporizers have earned themselves the title of being the golden standard in vaporization. However, even desktop vaporizers have their own sets of limitations. The earlier versions of tabletop vaporizers were large and heavy and required the users to be tethered to a wall outlet. The Focus V Carta Vape Rig improves upon this design by giving herb and concentrate consumers the same power and vapor production we all learned to love from these desktop devices but allowed freedom of movement by eliminating wired electrical connection. Such was the advantage portable dab rigs had to offer but the Carta from Focus V has more in store.

If you think you have portable dab rigs all figured out, then the Focus V Carta Vape Rig will surprise you with some neat tricks up its sleeve. Not only does it have a rechargeable, portable power source, but the battery packs used in the Carta are both removable and replaceable. That’s right, when you thought having to have been freed from the fetters that hold you inert was good enough, Focus V delivers innovative features other vaporizers in the portable dab rig platform can’t. The removable batteries offer users with two vital advantages. Maintenance and portability. Having a removable battery allows you to keep your portable dab rig in top shape since one of the most stressed components in a portable vaporizer is the battery pack that supplies it with power. Once the batteries on a portable unit deteriorates, the lifespan and longevity of the device itself also experiences a significant decline. Since the batteries on the Focus V Carta Vape Rig can easily be removed and replaced, you can always be sure you’re backed by the best battery every session. Furthermore, a replaceable battery means you don’t always have to keep charging your portable dab rig. Just carry a couple of these batteries and you’re all set.

Another notable feature the Focus V Carta Vape Rig has to offer is its downloadable mobile application. Available in both Android and IOS devices, the app lets you take temperature customization to a whole new level. Other vaporizers in the portable dab rig category have preset or precise temperature settings, but the Focus V Carta Vape Rig combines the elements of the two and make it into one convenient means to personalize your sessions. The mobile app also provides session time calculation amongst its other features.

Why the Carta?

Apart from the fact that the Carta is the latest device on the market that offers solid utility and practicality, what made us decide to give the Carta a try is Focus V’s reputation with how well they are with customers. We’re not just talking about aftersales support but how much Focus V considers the input of dealers, re-sellers, and actual end users to innovating and enhancing their products. Like all good products, the Focus V Carta Vape Rig underwent a beta testing phase. Focus V has been active in dealing with customer inputs which is why the Carta we see today is considered by many as the V2 of the original Carta. What Focus V put out on shelves is the second, improved iteration of the portable dab rig, a product of a combined effort by the community and Focus V’s R&D team.

Knowing that you’re backed by a company that puts a strong emphasis on customer support means that you’re in good hands. When other brands in the platform have been known to ignore customer correspondence, Focus V has made their presence felt in different social media platforms and online forums where both existing and potential customers can join the conversation. Focus V has held several livestreams where consumers have been able to ask questions and see the Carta Vape Rig perform in action during live sessions.

Focus V supports the Carta Vape Rig with an array of accessories and attachments with upcoming custom-made glasses and carb cap covers soon to be made available for the device. Focus V provides customers with a wide collection of replacement and upgrade components for the Focus V Carta Vape Rig which only proves to show how serious they are to their commitment to providing exceptional customer support.

Thoughts

The Carta Vaporizer from Focus V comes with a slew of features making it the ideal vaping device for both wax concentrate and dry herb consumers. Nevertheless, there are still a few things Focus V can improve on. We’ve compiled a list of our pros and cons after spending some time with the Focus V Carta Vaporizer.

Pros:

  • Portable
  • Removable batteries
  • Better temperature control
  • Optional accessories
  • Fast heating
  • Easy and straightforward to use

And best of all…

  • Superb vapor quality
  • Affordable

Cons:

  • Looks quite odd
  • Inadequate battery life

To begin with, the Focus V Carta Vape Rig isn’t exactly the only vaporizer in the portable dab rig category that can vaporize both waxes and flowers. Case in point, the Dr. Dabber Switch. However, in our own humble opinion, only the Carta Vaporizer can extract the best flavors from your herbs and give you the best potency from your select concentrates. Thanks to its dedicated concentrate and herb buckets, the Carta from Focus V allows precise and custom heating that perfectly suits your select material. The Focus V Carta Vape Rig comes with an inclusive carrying case which makes carrying it easy and convenient and the optional accessories are perfect for those who like to personalize their vaporizers. What we loved the most is that the Focus V Carta Vape Rig is more affordable than the competition. While it sports a reasonable price tag, we can attest that the overall quality is not at all sacrificed, proving that you don’t always have to spend too much to get good quality vaporizers.

Our only gripe is that we felt that the Focus V Carta Vaporizer still has the potential to look better. It bears a striking resemblance to the Peak from Puffco but it looks quite odd that it felt like the Carta was the Peak’s ugly little sister – but maybe that’s what the custom pieces are for. While the batteries are removable, we felt that it didn’t held long enough for several sessions but what are you to expect from two 18350s?

Overall, the Focus V Carta Vape Rig is a solid portable vape rig that’s sure to bring you more bang for your buck. Speaking of which, head on to vapeactive.com for sweet deals on authentic and original Focus V Carta Vaporizers.