In an effort to assist the United Nations in determining how cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating compound of the cannabis plant, fits in the mix of international drug treaties, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking comments from the public.
Through a notice in the Federal Register, earlier this week, the FDA announced that it was looking for details concerning the “abuse potential, actual abuse, medical usefulness,” and “trafficking” of the CBD compound.
The overall objective, according to the notification, is to collect as much information as possible on the subject and turn it over to the World Health Organization (WHO), so it can decide where CBD belong with respect to the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.
Although there are not yet any FDA-approved CBD products on the market, FDA Deputy Commissioner Anna K. Abram, the official responsible for issuing the notice, acknowledges that this marijuana derivative “has been shown to be beneficial in experimental models of several neurological disorders, including those of seizure and epilepsy.”
This statement is a big deal, especially considering that the federal government still considers every component of the cannabis plant to have “no known medicinal value.”
It is worth pointing out that CBD is not the only outlaw substance being reviewed by world officials. The notice indicates that 16 other substances, including Fentanyl and Ketamine, are also being examined.
Unfortunately, the notice does not mean the United States government is considering any kind of reschedule for CBD. The evaluation is strictly intended to provide guidance for WHO officials.
Any American citizen who would like to chime in with respect to the potential good an evil of the CBD compound is asked to provide his or her testimony by September 13, 2017. Those comments can be made through the government’s Regulations.gov website.
