Kevin Long is a 'newly found' CBD user.
- FDA does not regulate CBD — yet
- You want to make sure if there is THC, that it's .3% or less
- Check label and brand of CBD for ingredients and legitimacy
"I thought I'd just come in [Your CBD Store] and give it a try. From over the years, playing a lot of sports, I noticed my bones and tendinitis acting up. Just hoping for another couple years to play sports," said Long.
CBD sales, according to experts, will increase to around $22 billion by 2022. Sales were already in the hundreds of millions just a couple of years ago.
"It also helps to regulate your immune system and your serotonin levels — which can impact your mood," explained Amanda Jenkins, manager of Your CBD Store.
The Kenmore store has just that — all things CBD from lotions to edibles.
Jenkins says being that the FDA does not regulate CBD; they research their products with help from a chemist on staff.
"You want to make sure if there is THC, that it's .3% or less. A lot of the other CBD companies won't even mess around with that, just to make sure that it’s the legal limit,” she said.
The Journal of the American Medicine Association held a study that found more than two thirds of CBD products online were mismarked. Some products contained less or more CBD than was on the label, or none at all. Jenkins says that's why it’s so important to get a third-party lab testing: to know exactly what you're getting.
"We have third-party lab testing for everything and on the back of all our products, you can scan a QR code and get lab results for that exact batch and that exact bottle," added Jenkins.
CBD is sold as a supplement — not a medication. So how do you know if it’s safe?
"You also want to make sure everything is grown here in the U.S. Also, that everything is organic: not produced with a bunch of GMOs or pesticides or anything like that," she said.
Despite CBD not being regulated, Long says a natural remedy is worth a try.
"Now they have the lotion or the cream or whatever — seems like it’s working," added Long.
According to the chief science officer at Evio Labs Inc., who tests all types of CBD products for unsafe chemicals, for safety concerns, people should look at the label. The label and the brand says a lot. Also, nationally available products are held to the same standards as other items the manufacturer makes.
The FDA will hold a public hearing to discuss regulating CBD — it’s scheduled for May 31.