CBD users worry they’ll fail drug tests
CBD users in Colorado Springs are concerned they could fail employment drug screenings if the products they consume contain too much THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.
KRDO crews spoke with Terra Rumyam from Any Lab Test Now this afternoon — a clinic that allows CBD users to get tested and see if they’ll pass — to learn more about this fear.
Rumyam says some people turn up positive for THC due to long-term CBD use. However, she says other positive test results could be the consequence of CBD that wasn’t properly tested, or tested at all, and contains more than the legal amount of THC.
” They get it from like a gas station on the side of the road. They haven’t checked the manufacturer’s COA . It has to show there’s less than 0.3% THC, ” says Rumyam . To know exactly how much THC is in a product, Rumyam says to scan the QR code to reveal the Certificate of Analysis.
“If the COA isn’t on there, and there’s no barcode or QR code on the back, then you can call the manufacturer and ask for the COA . ”
The 2018 Farm Bill made the sale of CBD oil and other products federally legal as long as they contain less than 0.3% THC, but didn’t grant permission for companies to start selling CBD infused food, beverages, or dietary products.
Under Colorado state law, CBD can legally be sold in a food or beverage without any license, as long as companies follow those other FDA guidelines.
Per federal law, it’s not permissible to market CBD as a drug or a product that has any kind of health effect. The only exception is one FDA approved prescription drug product to treat rare, severe forms of epilepsy, called Epidiolex .
However, the Agency says it continues to research the best ways to regulate the CBD industry.
Part of a statement from the FDA after its most recent public hearing regarding CBD reads:
While the Agency continues to believe that the drug approval process is the best way to ensure the safety of new drugs, including those made with CBD , the Agency is committed to evaluating the regulatory frameworks for non-drug users, including products marketed as foods and dietary supplements. We remain steadfast in our effort to obtain research, data, and other safety and public health input to inform our approach and to address consumer access in a way that protects public health, maintains incentives for cannabis drug development, and creates a robust administrative record needed to support the initiative of the rulemaking.
