There’s a great deal of uncertainty circling the globe regarding the future of CBD. As we know it, CBD stands on shaky ground as far as legality goes. There are restrictions on buying CBD in dispensaries in states where cannabis is not legal, but online sales of CBD oil containing less than 0.3 percent THC seem to be just fine.
But CBD is not regulated by the U.S. government, nor is it well-researched. For years, CBD was considered a schedule 1 drug, which placed restrictions on public research of the drug. Therefore, we have little clinical research, even on the best CBD oil out there. This hinders its widespread success throughout the nation.
Yet, the U.S. government seems to be more and more open to the idea of allowing widespread CBD throughout the nation. If you were to look at the laws five years ago compared to now, you would be alarmed to see what was banned and the misinformation printed about CBD.
In the year 2020, most CBD supporters believe that things will be changing for the better. Rather than banning CBD completely and limiting research on its use, most people believe that the government will expand their knowledge and help to further acceptance of CBD in the coming years. Let’s take a look at some projections for CBD in 2020 and beyond.
The FDA Gets Involved
In the past, the FDA refused completely to be involved in the CBD industry. They would not regulate it or pass any CBD-based drugs because there wasn’t enough research to get involved. Things have already changed drastically in the CBD realm, and the FDA can’t ignore it any longer.
For starters, the FDA approved the first-ever CBD-based drug Epidiolex in 2018, a highly successful CBD-based drug that successfully reduces the number of seizures a patient with severe forms of epilepsy experiences on a daily basis. This drug has been widely circulated since then with rousing success, and pharmaceutical companies are exploring more applications of CBD as a result.
In November of 2019, the FDA again couldn’t ignore the pervasive nature of CBD. They published a statement about CBD and answered some frequently asked questions, revealing that they will likely take a greater part of the CBD realm to come.
First of all, they stated: “FDA recognizes the potential therapeutic opportunities that cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds could offer and acknowledges the significant interest in these possibilities.”
The statement continues by acknowledging the drug approval process as the best method they have for helping the medical community. It continues: “The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) is committed to supporting the development of new drugs, including cannabis and cannabis-derived drugs, through the investigational new drug (IND) and drug approval process.”
They also noted that there could be “potential adverse health effects with the use of cannabis products,” particularly for certain populations like children or pregnant women. They worry too that the misinformation regarding the CBD world will create health and safety concerns for CBD-users.
“The FDA is concerned that people may mistakenly believe that trying CBD ‘can’t hurt,’” They said in a statement. “The agency wants to be clear that we have seen only limited data about CBD’s safety and these data point to real risks that need to be considered.”
While these seem like negative aspects of the CBD realm, it’s actually very positive from a government involvement standpoint. No CBD retailer or manufacturer wants to see harm come upon their fellow men and women—they make and sell CBD to help people.
These statements indicate a growing interest and involvement of the FDA, which will increase the likelihood of CBD becoming a widespread and approved drug. It will also help to weed out the CBD sellers that are misleading in advertisements and product listings, making the entire industry safer and more beneficial for its patients.
The USDA Drops DEA Testing and Nods to a Brighter Future
In an effort to gain some control over the CBD industry, the USDA got involved in the hemp farming industry. They have placed several regulations on the production of hemp, which may have had good intentions, but really placed strain on the farmers and crop production.
One such regulation was that all testing for THC content in CBD had to be done in DEA labs. The USDA recently released the following statement:
“We now better understand how the limited number of DEA-registered labs will hinder testing and better understand the associated costs with disposing of product that contains over 0.3% THC could make entering the hemp market too risky,” USDA wrote in a statement in February 2020.
Greg Ibach, undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told members in an address at the 2020 National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) meeting that hemp growers would now be allowed to work with local and regional laboratories to do their THC testing.
This is huge for hemp farmers who were struggling to fulfill order demands and follow USDA protocol. It’s also huge for regional and local economies who can now have the business of farmers nearby.
This is a huge move for the USDA who is also hinting at making other improvements to ease the production and distribution of hemp throughout the United States. They are openly striving for better solutions for the industry.
U.S. Government Funds CBD Studies
One of the most exciting breakthroughs for the U.S. government is the decision to fund three different studies on CBD’s health effects. Last year, they allocated three grants worth a million dollars each to three different study groups. The studies are to begin this year.
Two of the studies will look at how CBD impacts non-human users, just like some of the studies we’ve seen in the past, but one will feature human clinical research to examine the brains of human volunteers using CBD for back pain.
This is just the first phase of what’s likely to be extensive research on CBD. It’s much too late for the government to be ignoring CBD as a health tool any longer, and it looks like 2020 might be the year they answer that call. With more government regulation and research behind CBD, it might become a globally accepted source of health and healing.
