CBD Oil Warning Issued About Product Dangers by Mississippi State Officials

• The FDA Has Yet To Issue Regulations to Oversee the CBD Industry.
• Neither hemp nor marijuana is a legal substance in the state of Mississippi.

The concerns surrounding the safety of using CBD has been debated, considering the many therapeutic benefits. The 2018 Farm Bill already legalized the cultivation, sale, and even the possession of hemp and its derivatives, but the Mississippi Department of Public Safety recently issued a warning of this substance during a Wednesday press conference. The warning specifically addressed the CBD products on sale within the state.

CBD, also known as cannabidiol, comes from both hemp and marijuana. While hemp is legal on a federal level, it is illegal in the state of Mississippi, and local news channel WTIK states that there’s no oversight federally or locally regarding CBD, despite the pending legislation from the FDA. Presently, since CBD is so newly legal, there are very few studies that actually demonstrate the safe use of CBD.

The local agencies are focusing on the lack of information in the industry right now, stating that CBD oil isn’t safe to use from any source. Marshall Fisher, the Commissioner of Public Safety, stated,

“We have no idea what ingredients or amounts are in these products and without proper labeling, you do not know what you are consuming and that is dangerous.”

John Dowdy, the Director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, commented that there’s plenty of testing on these types of products in the state, revealing that the labels do not honestly indicate what is in the remedies. He added,

“A large number of the products contain narcotics that are illegal under both state and federal law. The public safety and health concerns arising from the sale and use of these products are alarming.”

Consumers are encouraged to be careful in the way that they approach the use of different products, specifically ones that contain CBD. Dr. Thomas Dobbs, a Mississippi State Health Officer, issued a reminder to local consumers, stating,

“You really do not know what you are buying, and I am incredibly concerned about the safety of all CBD products. Without any federal or state oversight, consumers are taking great risks for their safety.”

Health officials in Mississippi are hardly the only authorities taking action in this industry. The lack of regulatory oversight is of great concern, and there are a few other states that have established unwavering prohibitions at this point. CBD is not considered a valid dietary ingredient by the FDA, since it must first be investigated as a drug before becoming a food ingredient. In Iowa and Idaho, residents are still unable to legally purchase hemp-based products like CBD.

Marc Ullman, an attorney with Ravkin Radler, remarked that each day without an official statement on authorities just makes the landscape significantly more confusing. He pointed out that the concern from Mississippi officials comes from the lack of “guidance from the federal regulators,” adding that the “FDA has created an enormous vacuum and no one is filling this void.” Ullman remarked that the lack of guidance even leaves responsible companies in the cold.