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CBD Industry Goes Local, citing ‘Wild Wild West’

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CBD Industry Goes Local, citing ‘Wild Wild West’

CBD is being hyped up across states, but the budding industry in Michigan is still navigating through the unclear regulatory landscape. CBD or cannabidiol was initially dismissed as a marijuana relative, but its alleged health and wellness benefits make it an early crowd favorite.

Today, CBD is everywhere in Michigan and is touted as a wellness product that doesn’t give the users a high, unlike its cousin marijuana. It’s found in shelves of Kroger and Family Video, and are sold as oils, bath products, and lotions. Some people feed it to their pet horses or infused them in ice cream.

Banking on CBD

Mother Earth Natural Health sibling owners Arianna and Tory Welsh started in 2016 when their father wanted a pain reliever that does not have psychoactive effects like medical marijuana. Today, they have three store branches and two more in the works for next year. They expect a 300-400% growth in sales for 2019.

The local market is now filled with the first harvest of industrial hemp since World War II. Michigan’s pilot program prompted Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to view the hemp industry as a potential enterprise creator. In early November, Michigan issued 572 licenses for growers and 433 permits for processor-handlers.

Welsh believes that Michigan-made CBD oil will be made available in as early as December or in January.

Urban Roots CBD LLC, a Monroe-based manufacturer, produces CBD tinctures, gummies, pet oil, topical creams, and more using out-of-state sourced hemp. However, the company’s co-founders Alex Kolpacke and Brandon Koz are hoping to become entirely Michigan-sourced.

All about hemp

Hemp is a variety of Cannabis sativa L. that does not contain more than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, the active component responsible for the high in marijuana. CBD is the non-psychotropic compound that can be extracted from the hemp and marijuana variety, but the federal law based on the 2018 Farm Bill specifies hemp-derived CBD as legal.

Last March, the Michigan DA and Bureau of Marijuana Regulation released CBD guidelines, although rules are still shifting due to the new interim rules issued by the USDA regarding industrial hemp. However, not one agency claims to govern sales for CBD in Michigan, adding to the confusion and murky regulation on the substance.

CBD has gotten famous over the years due to its alleged health and wellness benefits, alleviating conditions like pain, anxiety, stress, and even sleep deprivation. There has been strong clinical evidence for CBD’s effectiveness in helping with epilepsy in children, but experts believe that more research should be done to prove the other therapeutic claims of CBD.

Trey Malone, assistant professor, an economist at Michigan State University expresses his uncertainty on where the CBD market is headed. There is a lot of confusion, especially considering that the substance was included as a Schedule 1 in the Controlled Substances Act not long ago.

The CBD industry is dubbed by many as the “Wild Wild West” due to the inconsistency of quality, regulations, and health benefits. Malone cites the lack of data for consumer trends on CBD.

Growth and uncertainty

CBD’s lack of clarity in regulations was evident when the Detroit Health Department cracked down the sale of CBD-infused drinks, which are currently still not FDA-approved for purchase and consumption.

However, known retailers like Family Video now sell gummies, edibles, and CBD water in Michigan. Several others are doing the same amid the FDA’s lack of approval on CBD food intake.

CBD as food additives is still not federally legal, according to Detroit-based lawyer and owner of a law firm, Atty. Scott Roberts. He also notes that the rule is not actively enforced due to the current period of uncertainty in the CBD market today.

Based on a report by The Nielsen Co., the cannabis market can grow to a $6B industry in 2025. Brightfield Group also predicts the market to grow to $5B by the end of this year, with a foreseeable growth of up to $23.7B by 2023.

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