Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-742-3922
Email: ben@jgpr.net
Rockland Police and Fire Departments Offer Guidance on CBD Products
ROCKLAND — As CBD products become more readily available across Massachusetts, Police Chief John Llewellyn and Fire Chief Scott Duffey are urging Rockland residents to be cautious, research items before buying and remember that the drug’s legality at the federal level remains murky.
While many CBD products claim to cure physical pains, benefit mental health and even cure some illnesses, these benefits are largely unsubstantiated by science. Only one CBD drug has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug administration after it was studied closely. The drug treats seizures associated with severe epilepsy.
Because of a lack of regulation, some items that claim to be CBD can be dangerous to consumers. In December 2017 and January 2018, a group of approximately 50 people in Utah were sickened by a synthetic cannabinoid they were sold that was marketed as CBD. Some of their symptoms included an altered mental status, seizures, confusion, loss of consciousness, and hallucinations.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), CBD, also known as cannabidiol, does not cause a high because it affects a different part of the nervous system than THC, an active chemical compound in marijuana.
CBD can be derived from both marijuana and hemp. Hemp-derived CBD can contain as much as 0.3 percent THC, and marijuana-derived CBD can contain more, according to the FDA.
Marijuana-derived CBD remains illegal federally, as a cannabis byproduct. Hemp, however, was legalized nationally in December 2018.
The Rockland Police and Fire Departments are urging parents, guardians, and caregivers to be vigilant that children do not become exposed to CBD products that can often be sold in candy form. There are many gummy candy CBD products, which can be attractive to young children.
CBD products, ranging to edible treats to oils to lotions, can be bought online and in retail stores in Massachusetts.
“With these items becoming more readily available in our state, we would just like to notify parents that 99% of these CBD products have not been approved by the FDA,” Chief Llewellyn said. “Research is still being done to better understand the side effects of CBD, but the truth is, we simply don’t know what this substance is capable of yet and urge caution.”
Finding reliable information on CBD is also challenging, as much of the information available online is created by pro-CBD and marijuana companies. As a result, the Rockland Police and Fire Departments encourage residents to carefully assess the reliability and accuracy of the sources they use to gather information regarding CBD.
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