AUGUSTA, Maine -- Maine health authorities have ordered retailers to remove edible products containing cannabidiol (CBD) from shelves because the substance has been declared unsafe by the state’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Portland Press Herald reported.
The passage of last year’s Farm Bill triggered this policy change, according to a memo the Herald received from Deanna White, Maine’s assistant attorney general. After the legalization of hemp stirred concern among officials, state lawyers concluded that CBD could not be used in mass-market food until Maine’s hemp program receives federal approval, the memo said.
Environmental health inspectors began informing businesses in late January that they must remove all CBD foods, tinctures and capsules from their shelves, the newspaper said.
The Maine DHHS did not respond to CSP Daily News for a comment by posting time.
This doesn’t derail all CBDs in Maine, though. CBD products that can be smoked, vaped, worn as a patch or applied as a lotion will remain on shelves, said the Herald. Medical marijuana patients who purchase oral CBDs from licensed caregivers may continue using the substance as well.
CBD edibles have soared over the past year. In January 2018, these products garnered 17% of edible sales in Arizona, California, Colorado and Oregon; within 10 months, that number increased to 25%, according to BDS Analytics, Boulder, Colo. And by the end of last year, chocolate candies made with CBD accounted for 61% of the total chocolate market in Colorado.
Current CBD-edible players include manufacturers Platinum X CBD, which showcased its CBD Lollipops at the 7-Eleven FOAC Holiday Tradeshow in November 2018; Diamond CBD, which makes CBD gummies, cake pops and chocolate; and Cannabinoid Creations, whose CBD candy line includes Hemp Hard Candy.
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