Products containing CBD, derived from hemp, are gaining popularity in Minnesota, even though their ingredient lists may be unreliable, their effectiveness is poorly studied and some sales for medicinal purposes could constitute crimes in that state.

Tired by pain and exhausted by anxiety, customers flock to stores – as well as some clinics and pharmacies – to try CBD products that are supposed to provide the soothing benefits of marijuana without stress.

"Seriously, I'm really passionate about it," said Barb Kuehn, a woman from Oak Park Heights who has received drops of CBD and ointments from her chiropractor for her arthritis. "I can not go without having it at home."

Retailers such as Nothing But Hemp and Minnesota Hempdropz are part of an industry that has grown in just a few short months, from two specialty stores in twin cities to a dozen in the spring.

CBD oils, ointments, inhalants and gelling candies, however, have emerged in a legal and regulatory vacuum: federal and state laws permit the manufacture of hemp products – a variant of marijuana that can not not produce high – promoted for unproven medical treatments.

The rise of the CBD has in many ways outpaced regulators' ability to control sales, said Cody Wiberg of the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy. He fears that they are not treated as consumer products, even though the CBD behaves like drugs prescribed by his agency.

"CBD is pharmacologically active," he said. "It acts like a drug. It is metabolized in the liver by the same enzymes as 50 to 60% of the drugs available on the market. "

CBD, abbreviation for cannabidiol, is one of the two major compounds of marijuana that affects human nervous systems and endocannabinoids. The other is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which produces the delusional effects of the drug. Hemp is a version of marijuana that is grown with little or no THC.

The Minnesota Medical Marijuana Program allows certified patients suffering from chronic pain and 13 other conditions to receive cannabis products containing different levels of CBD and THC from two state-licensed distributors.

This is different from the CBD consumer market, yet customers are sometimes the same, said Abbie Herkenhoff, co-owner of Minnesota Hempdropz stores in Maplewood and Columbia Heights. Many of her clients are frustrated with pain they can not shake or who have enough opioid painkillers that can be powerful and addictive.

"We have many people who have been taking opioid medications for a decade and are just fed up," said Herkenhoff.

The CBD market took off after Congress passed a 2018 agricultural law that distinguished hemp from marijuana, which meant it was no longer an issue. unlawful controlled substance.

But the lack of regulation of the CBD since then has created problems, such as concerns about labels and inaccurate ingredient lists. When officials from Crow Wing County discovered a product marketed as a "medical" cigar from the CBD, they sent it to a state laboratory for testing and he found out that It contained half of the CBD listed on the package.

University of Minnesota biologists tested a CBD vaping product and discovered that it contained a slightly higher THC level than allowed by law. Professor George Weiblen said he suspects that more products contain too much THC, especially those derived from hybrid versions of hemp and marijuana plants. He is concerned that problems are affecting the larger market for industrial hemp.

"There is nothing that regulates the labeling of these products," he said. "That's part of the problem. The other problem is that these drugs interact with our nervous system in a complex way that we are only beginning to understand. "

CBD extraction methods from lower quality hemp left traces of chemicals on the products. The Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration responded last week by calling for stronger surveillance. The agency also warned three manufacturers to promote their CBD-based products for unfounded medical benefits.

In the face of this regulatory confusion, Senator Karla Bigham of D-Cottage Grove introduced legislation requiring accurate labeling of CBD products and protecting the growing hemp industry. The state has 256 hemp farmers and 130 processors.

Bigham addresses the issue as a believer in the CBD. She broke her foot by hanging on the leash of her dog that took off after another animal. Since then, he has had three surgeries. She started taking CBD in January and her stiffness and pain are gone.

"I was able to snowshoe on my 40th birthday," she said. "I can run on my treadmill."

Nevertheless, research on CBD is rare. The only drug containing FDA-approved CBD is Epidiolex, which treats epileptic seizures. A 2010 U-study found that synthetic pain with cannabinoids controlled mice, but the author claimed that CBD's current commercial use went well beyond that. that science has proved.

"You can not escape the CBD. Now, my cooperative is selling it, "said Kalpna Gupta, a professor at the university.

Many retailers are aware of the confusion. Walgreens announced this week that it would sell topical ointments and creams at the CBD. Target, based in Minneapolis, said in a statement that it had not added CBD-based products despite consumer interest and would continue to follow the FDA's debate and plans.

Allina Health, a network of hospitals and clinics in the Twin Cities, sells DBC-based products at its Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, but only to patients who have received a referral from their physician.

Small retailers say that they take steps to control themselves. Minnesota Hempdropz only sells products from manufacturers that publish batch test results to ensure the proper ingredients. Nothing But Hemp requires testing by third party labs with no direct financial interest.

Retailers are cautious when talking to customers, said Steven Brown, owner of Nothing But Hemp stores. While some studies have corroborated CBD anxiety, pain and inflammation, retailers can not say more. "We can tell people why others use it. But we can not say that it will be the panacea. "

The anecdotes are convincing, however. Brown said the CBD helped him overcome his anxiety of public speaking and eliminating his wife's migraines. And although he can not say that it treats Parkinson's disease, he can tell the story of a man who bought a CBD product and felt the tremors disappear half an hour later.

"It's a true story," he said. "I can say that. That does not mean it's going to work for everyone. "

Even in this case, regulators are concerned about the selling points. A head of the Hennepin County Public Health Department recently asked a supplier at Eden Prairie Mall to stop selling water and gummy CBD products because the packaging did not specify the legal levels of THC.

Wiberg said the pharmacy board was not investigating suspicious claims or CBD products that might fit the states' drug definition. The costs are too high, he said, and would be wasted if lawmakers suddenly approved CBD products. But the council will investigate consumer complaints.

"CBD is a potentially beneficial product," Wiberg said, but we are currently in what I would call the wild phase, the wild west phase, or maybe even the oil phase of the snake.