The U.S. Pain Foundation recently has been participating in the Collaborative for CBD Science & Safety (CCSS), created to provide a forum to exchange information and resources and respond to policies and practices affecting cannabidiol (CBD) research, safety, and quality.

“It is important to the U.S. Pain Foundation that people have access to purchasing safe and high-quality CBD,” says Ellen Lenox Smith, Medical Cannabis Advocacy Co-Director, who participates in the coalition. “Presently, people truly have few guidelines to go by and are paying exorbitant amounts of money and many times not getting the product or results being claimed on the packaging.”

The CBD market has grown exponentially in recent years, yet it’s regulation has largely lagged behind. The Food and Drug Administration has begun to issue warning letters to companies making unsubstantiated claims, but regulatory oversight and enforcement for CBD-containing dietary supplements or foods versus that of FDA-approved prescription drugs remains unclear for consumers. Consumers are many times unaware they are choosing unproven or untested products, which could prove to be dangerous, if not deadly.

CCSS is led by a steering committee and is comprised of various organizations and stakeholders, including nonprofit and public health organizations, health care providers, patients and caregivers, employer interests, and the pharmaceutical, food, and dietary supplement industry perspectives.

“It is time for people to be able to purchase a product with hemp CBD and know they are not taking a chance and putting their lives in danger, or throwing their money away for a phony product,” says Lenox Smith.

To learn more about U.S. Pain’s position on medical cannabis, click here. To visit our medical cannabis educational website, click here.

For more information about the collaborative, visit: www.cbd-collaborative.org.