Currently browsing posts about: Cannabis

I haven’t said much about unusual bottled waters since 2018 when I wrote about bottled ocean water.

2018 was also when I went on The Daily Show to be interviewed by Desi Lydic as the straitperson for her deep dive into “raw water” (surely, the funniest thing I’ve ever done).

Well, you can’t make up these things.

• Karma Water launches CBD Water:  Karma Water – a US brand which Constellation Brands has a minority stake in – has launched Karma CBD Water: the first such beverage in its wellness and probiotic waters beverage portfolio…. Read more
• Shine Water with Vitamin D: That this is about marketing more than health is evident from at least one review: “The brand messaging is where things go a little off track, slamming you with callouts and copy, trying to establish credibility for the drink’s functionality. These include a large green vitamin D callout, a Vitamin D Council “approved” logo, a “developed by physicians” logo, two mentions of their charitable intentions (5 percent of profits — a problem in that most startup beverage companies have zero or minimal profits for a while).
• Psychedelic Water: A friend who prefers to remain anonymous forwarded an e-mail from this company: “We would love to arrange an interview with you and the team of disruptors behind the launch of the first legal psychedelic, mild mood-boosting, hangover-free fun…Psychedelics have been touted in the media lately for the extreme benefits they have on mental health, depression, happiness, mood-stabilizing, and overall general well-being. Psychedelic Water works because it is the world’s first legal psychedelic blend of kava root, damiana leaf, and green tea A leaf extract for an experience like no other.

My only comment:  Really, there are better ways to get CBD, vitamin D, or even high if that’s what you are looking for.  Me?  I’m sticking to plain, ordinary drinking water, sometimes fizzed up a bit.

Everybody wants to get into CBD edibles.  They have the potential to make lots of money for lots of people.

Here are a few recent items.

CBD ice cream:  Way back in 2019, Ben and Jerry’s, always on the cutting edge, promised to move right in.  I haven’t seen any yet, but can’t wait.

CBD pet food: Martha Stewart, also ever ahead of the curve, is doing a new line of products.

CBD alcohol: Product names or descriptors such as ‘CBD gin’ or ‘rum infused with CBD’ could prove problematic in the UK, says the Portman Group, as it sets out guidance on marketing CBD…. Read more

CBD supplements: Rugby warriors tackle cannabinoid concerns with CBD startup:  Two professional rugby players have created a startup selling third-party tested CBD supplements that give elite athletes and everyday consumers peace of mind over cannabinoid content.. Read

CBD edible hazards: Four children needed hospital treatment in England after eating sweets thought to have contained cannabis. A 12-year-old boy was discharged on May 1 and the other three were expected to be released from hospital in Surrey after being kept in overnight for monitoring and observation.  Continue Reading

CBD hazard regulation (or lack thereof): CBD experts recommend THC limit for finished products.  CBD industry experts have put together a detailed safety review of THC recommending clear policy recommendations to cut market confusion… Read

Regulations are sure to come, and the sooner the better—for reasons of public safety, but also to give startups some guidelines.

I was intrigued by this Tweet:

Anyone would be confused.

And here are some news items:

• PBR cannabis-infused seltzer launches in California: Pabst Labs was granted the rights to create these drinks under the brand’s name. Each nonalcoholic beverage contains 5 milligrams of THC, 4 grams of sugar and 25 calories.
• Could 2021 be the breakout year for cannabis-infused food and beverages?  Although the pandemic slowed progress, the outlook is brighter as more companies enter the market and the regulatory environment has the potential to change.
• Study: Feeding cannabis treats to dogs does not affect their behavior, but may affect scratching: “…CBD reduced scratching compared with CON (P = 0.030). CBD did not affect the activity duration during exercise periods (P = 0.143). These results indicate that, when supplemented with up to 4.5 mg CBD/kg BW/day, CBD does not impact the daily activity of adult dogs, but may exert an antipruritic effect.”

I don’t follow cookbooks closely but was surprised to see Stained Page News’ account of an entire cookbook genre devoted to cooking with Cannabis.

I knew about Elise McDonough’s writings in High Times, but had not paid much attention to her Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook when it came out.  Stained Page News explains:

Author Elise McDonough is foundational to the modern cannabis cookbook space. A cannabis consumer since her teens, she eventually found herself working for the flagship subculture magazine High Times while taking classes at New York’s Natural Gourmet Institute. McDonough says that the magazine would field recipes from contributors, who often sent them in without photography, and they’d have to re-create the dish in order to print it. “That really got me into the idea of cooking with cannabis—learning a lot of techniques, an interest in food style and prop styling for photography, that got me started,” she said.

Here is SPN’s Guide to Cannabis Cookbooks

• The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook by Elise McDonough and the Editors of High Times
• Brownie Mary’s Marijuana Cookbook
• Marijuana Cooking: Good Medicine Made Easy by Bliss Cameron and Veronica Green
• The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook by Robyn Griggs Lawrence
• Cooking With Herb: 75 Recipes For the Marley Natural Lifestyle by CI hedella Marley and Raquel Pelzel
• Bong Appetit by the Editors of Munchies
• The Art of Weed Butter by Mennlay Golokeh Aggrey
• The Art of Cooking with Cannabis: CBD and THC-Infused Recipes from Across America by Tracey Medeiros
• Edibles: Small Bites for the Modern Cannabis Kitchen by Stephanie Hua with Coreen Carroll
• Cannabis Drinks: Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home by Jamie Evans

Disclaimer: I have never cooked from any of these and cannot vouch for the accuracy of the recipes or their quality.  But if you do cook from them,

• Keep the foods away from young children
• Stay home, don’t drive
• And follow this advice from those more in the know than I am

The FDA’s Cannabis website is still the go-to place for staying on top of the regulatory status.  It hasn’t done much since January:

• Better Data for a Better Understanding of the Use and Safety Profile of Cannabidiol (CBD) Products
• FDA Warns Companies Illegally Selling CBD Products 

The Institute for Food Technology has an update on Consumers, Covid-19, and CBD edibles.

Here’s the latest on safety: CBD safety: Large-scale study finds no evidence of liver toxicity from oral CBD products:  Colorado-based ValidCare has announced the preliminary findings from its industry-sponsored, decentralized human safety study of hemp derived CBD products, with the data indicating no liver toxicity…. Read more

And here’s what’s happening internationally:

• Legal status of CBD around the world: this site explains the legal status in numerous international countries.
• Global market for CBD edibles

• UK: CBD ‘key market’ in post-Brexit UK:  Concessions enabling more CBD products to meet the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) novel food application deadline suggest the UK could be becoming a major player in cannabis edibles, according to law firm Fieldfisher… Read
• Thailand: Hemp and CBD in Thailand: Food and supplement companies rush into NPD as FDA approves draft regulation: A number of Thai companies, including CP Foods and DOD Biotech, have stated their intentions in developing new food, supplement and beverages containing hemp, as new regulatory developments unfold in the country…. Read more
• Mexico: While Mexican businesses and cannabis enthusiasts celebrate a hard-fought passage of recreational cannabis in Mexico’s lower house, many questions remain for a country that recently saw nearly two-thirds of its citizens disapprove of the measure.

I am interested in the politics of CBD edibles and supplements, and have been collecting items.  The big issue, of course, is regulation.

The FDA has a web page devoted to this topic:

FDA Regulation of Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Products, Including Cannabidiol (CBD)

• Consumer Information
• FDA Communications
• Regulatory Resources
• Questions and Answers

Here are some recent articles on what’s happening with CBD.

• FDA chief Hahn says it would be ‘fool’s game’ to try to shut down CBD markets: FDA Commissioner Dr Stephen Hahn, MD, in a speech on Wednesday that despite its continued concern about insufficient safety data FDA has no plans to try to shut down the CBD markets. Hahn said that would amount to a “fool’s game.”… Read more
• FDA report on CBD seen as ‘disappointing’ recap of status quo: A report on CBD delivered by FDA Commissioner Dr Stephen Hahn, MD, was seen by food and dietary supplement industry stakeholders as offering little hope of a timely regulatory solution for the ingredient…. Read more
• Economic Viability of Industrial Hemp in the United States: A Review of State Pilot Programs: After a hiatus of almost 45 years, the 2014 Farm Bill reintroduced industrial hemp production in the U.S. through State pilot programs. This study documents outcomes and lessons learned from the State pilot programs.
•  GALLERY: Trend watching at the Cannabis Forum… ‘The hippies are being pushed out and the suits are coming in’:The hemp-derived CBD market is growing rapidly, although many CPG brands and retailers are waiting for clarity from the FDA on the regulatory path forward for cannabidiol before piling in, but what will distinguish the winners from the losers in this space? FoodNavigator-USA headed to the BevNET/Nosh Cannabis Forum in Santa Monica to find out. Read more
• CBD industry headed toward big overcapacity, expert asserts: The hemp/CBD industry may have gotten the cart before the horse in terms of extraction capacity and raw material supply, said an investment analyst familiar with the sector…. Read more
• FSAI issues updates to CBD food and supplement recall: The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has updated its recall of CBD-related foods and food supplements that have flagged up safety concerns due to the presence of delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol or THC…. Read more
• Hemp-based meat: New Zealand firm eyes 2021 launch for minimally processed, sustainable new product: New Zealand alternative protein firm Sustainable Foods is planning a 2021 launch for its hemp-based meat analogues, which will be made will locally-grown hemp and processed using the firm’s own hydroelectric power plant…. Read more
• USDA seeks more hemp comments: For the second time, the Agricultural Marketing Service re-opened the public comment period for its industrial hemp regulations, this time asking for comment by Oct. 8 on a dozen topics including disposal and remediation of plants containing too much THC, whether to allow a longer harvest window after samples are gathered for testing and whether to allow more laboratories to conduct THC tests.

Food Dive reports: FDA study finds some CBD products are mislabeled: Of the 20 edible and beverage products tested that had an amount of CBD marketed on their labels, five had less than 80% of the amount indicated and six had more than 120%.

I’m particularly interested in CBD edibles so I took a look at the FDA CBD labeling report.

What the results mean:

• For gummies, 7 of 17 products were mislabeled by 20% or more, and 5 contained THC (the psychodelic ingredient they are not supposed to have).
• For edibles, 6 of 17 were mislabeled by 20% or more, and 3 had THC.
• For beverages, 3 of 8 were mislabeled by 20% or more, but none had THC.
• For pet foods, 5 of 22 were mislabeled by 20% or more, and 9 had THC.

If you want THC in your edibles, you’ve got a pretty good chance of getting it, and so do your pets.

Enjoy!

I can hardly keep up with the accounts of the CBD business.  The business is booming.

The research?  Not so much.

The regulation? Lagging.

Here are some recent items.

• NASDA, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, has a report on hemp.
• Plaintiff’s Bar turns attention to CBD with wave of lawsuits alleging products contain ‘significantly lower levels’ than advertised
  redicted in the wake of reports highlighting discrepancies between actual and stated levels of CBD in consumer products, the plaintiff’s bar has turned its attention to the burgeoning category with a series of lawsuits alleging that products contain “significantly lower levels of CBD than advertised.”.. Read
• CBD’s Novel Food status reiterated by German high courts:  A higher court in Germany rules that cannabidiol (CBD) is a novel food confirming the decision made by one of the country’s administrative courts back in November last year. Read more
• Recall round-up: Hemp extract in spray and drug-contaminated supplements:  Aphrodisiac supplements for men, an update to a cumin recall and a non-approved Novel Food found in a CBD dietary supplement are among notices issued by food agencies last month in NutraIngredients monthly round-up. Read more
• Italy adopts decree setting maximum THC levels in supplements:  Italy’s Ministry of Health confirms the maximum level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) permitted in food supplements is set at two milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg). Read more
• EFSA warns THC levels of hemp-containing supplements exceed safety limit:  The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) warns of consequences to the heart and cardiovascular system as a result of consuming large amounts of hemp products that includes supplements, teas and energy drinks. Read more
• FDA asks for $5 million for CBD initiatives; industry groups cautiously in favor:  A $5 million FDA budget request earmarked for CBD initiatives has garnered the cautious support of dietary supplement stakeholders…. Read more
• CBD’s Novel Food status reiterated by German high courts: A higher court in Germany rules that cannabidiol (CBD) is a novel food confirming the decision made by one of the country’s administrative courts back in November last year… Read 
• CBD ruling major blow to industry: The novel foods status of cannabidiol (CBD) has been a major blow for the industry, but one that is not so easily enforced, experts have claimed…. Read more
• CBD food decision made by Food Standards Agency:  The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is giving the CBD industry a deadline of 31 March 2021 to submit valid novel food authorisation applications…. Read more