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DEA Spokesman: CBD Users Can Take Their Medicine In Peace

DEA
Written by Corre Addam

After years of anti, the FDA are finally coming around to the fact that CBD in cannabis is harmless and may actually be good for you. So says the DEA anyhow

After all, the non-psychoactive compound found in the plant is a lot less damaging than so many pharmaceutical chemicals which are FDA approved. Like Percocet and Xanax, which are currently killing off Americans in their thousands, and are FDA approved.

The shock announcement from the DEA has confused a lot of people who are still thinking back to the end of last year when the DEA set out some strict rules for CBD extraction processes and products.

Just before Christmas in 2016, the DEA’s position on CBD was that, “For all practical purposes, all extracts that contain CBD will also contain at least small amounts of other cannabinoids. However, if it were possible to produce from the cannabis plant an extract that contained only CBD and no other cannabinoids, such an extract would fall within the new drug code. […] Although it might be theoretically possible to produce a CBD extract that contains absolutely no amounts of other cannabinoids, the DEA is not aware of any industrially-utilized methods that have achieved this result.”

All the way back in 2014, the Farm Bill was passed in America, for, “universities and state departments of agriculture” only. Take for example what happened in a grocery store in Indiana, when cops seized CBD oils and extracts, only to be forced to return them with a sincere apology.

As attitudes towards CBD take a serious chill pill, (pun intended) the atmosphere surrounding it is getting better. After all, why should someone feel guilty for taking a totally natural remedy, over an addictive opioid even if the doc prescribed it?

DEA spokesman Rusty Payne spoke with reporters in Indiana about the situation. He clarified as follows, “It’s not legal. It’s just not. […] Anybody who’s in violation [of the federal laws] always runs the risk of arrest and prosecution. [But] I’d do the exact same thing [as parents of children who need CBD are doing]—without hesitation. I cannot blame these people for what they’re doing. They are not a priority for us… it would not be an appropriate use of federal resources to go after a mother because her child has epileptic seizures and has found something that can help and has helped. Are they breaking the law? Yes, they are. Are we going to break her door down? Absolutely not. And I don’t think she’ll be charged by any U.S. Attorney.”

While technically CBD is not legal, the ill-fated war on drugs, especially cannabis and her derivatives, are not at the top of the DEA or FDA’s hit lists. They understand that people, often parents, just want some natural pain relief for them or their children. Let us hope the new trend will continue…

[Image credit: Pixabay]

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1 Comment

  • In March 2016 the NIH had a conference on CBD and other cannabinoids. https://niaaa.nih.gov/news-events/meetings-events-exhibits/marijuana-and-cannabinoids-neuroscience-research-summit

    It was clear that NIH recognized CBD as having value and not being abused because the head of NIDA, Psychiatrist Nora Volkow asked the consensus panel if CBD should be scheduled. The answer was unanimously no. Her way of also saying CBD is safe and ridiculous to lump with heroin in Schedule 1. The federal gov will never easily give up power usurped from the citizens in 1937 but it not in their interest to continue to get bad publicity from harassing moms of epileptic children, scientists, or other advocates. Just don’t promote ridiculous claims.

    The consensus among cannabinoid scientists is that the federal government knows Cannabis is relatively safe and effective for many medical conditions but for political reasons can’t admit this yet. Unless the President of Congress states this truth. The pharmaceutical, alcohol, tobacco, prison and prison guard industries have too much to lose from heavy handed hypocritical anti free market corrupt special interest protectionist positions. We must still walk a fine line albeit with positions increasingly backed by state governments, patients, and science.

About the author

Corre Addam

Addam spends the lion's share of his day fixated on his computer screen. When he isn't in front of his computer, you'll most likely find him editing or researching his next fascinating article on his smartphone or tablet. When he manages to pull himself away from technology, you'll find him chilling hard somewhere, probably under a tree with an ice-cold Iced-tea, pondering life...