CLEVELAND — Starting in May, the FDA will put more intense focus on CBD oil, including holding public hearings.
Some of the most basic tasks for other people are excruciating for Daniel Johnson. He has a connective tissue disease.
"Our joints pop in an out of socket and it's very painful," said Johnson.
But medical marijuana and CBD oil, which both come from the cannabis plant, help with the pain.
While Johnson uses CBD oil and medical marijuana to treat some symptoms, public calls for more CBD products is moving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to explain how it will study CBD.
The FDA will:
- Hold public hearings in May
- Create an internal working group to see if CBD supplements or food could be legally marketed
- Update the Frequently Asked Questions part of the FDA website
- Warn CBD companies about "egregious and unfounded claims" made in their marketing
The FDA has already sent out warning letters to three CBD companies for marketing false medical claims.
"That very much bothers me," said Dr. Noah Miller.
Miller has seen the positive impact that CBD oil can have. That's why he tells patients with seizures, chronic pain, and sickness while battling cancer to give it a try to treat some symptoms.
"We can't be making these grand claims that don't really have enough medical evidence to claim," said Miller.
Miller says anyone who promises more, like that CBD oil could slow Alzheimer's Disease, hurts the whole industry.
"Unfortunately that erodes the perception of CBD as a viable medical treatment and erodes the trust that people have in medical marijuana," said Miller.
One big problem is a lack of medical research because, for generations, cannabis was considered more dangerous than opioids.
"In this field though, there hasn't been the level of research to be able to deem cannabis products as FDA-approved or in this case, even federally legal," said Miller.
