Unlike the Pacific Northwest and New England, southern states have been slow to pass pro-Cannabis legislation. Several states have voted to approve Cannabidiol (CBD) for very specific conditions and have granted licenses to research organizations, as well as some businesses – but patients face a conundrum. While patients with a qualifying medical condition are allowed to take CBD treatments, they’re having a difficult time legally purchasing products.
CBD-only states put patients in a catch-22 position when it comes to buying CBD in-state. For example, making or selling CBD oil is illegal in Georgia and when licenses are granted, it is usually only available for about a half-dozen recipients.
Leafly takes an investigative look at CBD-only states and how patients are dealing with the restrictions.
Georgia is used as the prime example. Patients that qualify under one of eight conditions covered can have their doctor recommend CBD oil for treatment. Each medical card recipient is permitted to have 20 ounces of CBD oil. However, under Georgia law, there is no one available to legally sell CBD oil and it is technically illegal for patients to purchase CBD. Patients could order from another state, but that is against federal law and can land them in hot water with drug trafficking charges.
Patients sometimes have to go to the CBD black market in order to get the treatments they need. Patients worry about the safety of the products purchased from the black market. Devoid of regulations, it is a gamble with product safety. In addition, the actual purities and concentrations could be misrepresented and obtaining third-party lab results is difficult.
Those who make the trek out west to purchase CBD face a difficult time bringing products outside of friendly borders. Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska are on alert for people transporting Cannabis or CBD. Thankfully, more and more advocacy organizations are popping up and connecting patients to other caregivers that have delved into production.
Ordering CBD oil online can be a gamble too. There are many online companies that have no safeguards or quality assurance process, and since they do not provide lab results, there’s no guarantee CBD is in the product. There are no testing and quality requirements for CBD manufactured outside of states with legalized CBD. In contrast, states like Washington and Oregon have very stringent quality standards.
CBD may be ways away from becoming completely mainstream but companies can further legitimize their products by coming into compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) that reinforce consistency, quality, and batch traceability. Learn more about how InstantGMP™ MES can get you started on the path to compliance and manufacturing efficiency by signing up for a live demonstration.