In the past few years, the use of cannabis and cannabis-derived products has become common in the US with the most popular extract being CBD. From beauty products like shampoos and lotions to medicinal oils and powders, CBD is being increasingly added to an increasing amount of items.
The primary reason for the popularity of cannabis-derived products is the increase in research on the plant. A number of different studies on cannabis and CBD have shown its potential benefits for the treatment of a number of health conditions including anxiety, sleeping disorders, and depressive episodes.
However, with the legalization of cannabis in multiple states in the US, there are rising concerns about the quality of products. Many people have complained about products with low-quality cannabis as well as misleading information on their packaging.
According to health experts, both of these problems can be harmful to public health given the danger of overdosing and choosing the wrong product along with the rising number of CBD users.
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Cannabis-derived drugs are still a very new category since its legalization in the US is also recent. Therefore, there are not many strong federal laws on the sales and distribution of most of the CBD products.
Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released the first draft of laws that companies will have to keep in mind while developing CBD products in the future.
The new guidelines contain specific instructions for products that contain cannabis oil as well as other compounds that are derived from the plant and added to different items. The draft covers all kinds of treatments containing cannabis compounds.
In addition, the agency also added that there is a specific section for the calculation of appropriate weights for cannabis for determining the right dosage for treatments that include oral medicines.
The newly released draft was prepared on the basis of concerns expressed by the cannabis industry representatives on the inaccurate information added on CBD products that can increase the chances of contamination and even potentially harm the user.
The draft is to be finalized in two months. Until then, the agency will be hearing any comments or suggestions on improvements or additions in the laws regarding cannabis.
With the introduction of stronger laws, the cannabis industry is expected to improve with better products. Secondly, the rules will also allow people to only buy products that meet a set standard and also avoid any harmful effects on health with accurate dosage guidelines.
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The US is one of the countries with the biggest population of cannabis users. Although the cannabis-derived products are now being sold in every other grocery store of the country, there is still a need for staying cautious given that the drug is not medicinally proven to be as beneficial as some of the vendors and companies claim.
It should be noted that the FDA has only approved one cannabis-based medicine known as Epidiolex, which is used and prescribed for the treatment of epileptic seizures.
