Healthcare providers, patients, caregivers, consumers, employers, and others join forces to underscore the importance of continued research to support CBD’s therapeutic potential.
CONTACT
Libby Baney
(202) 312-7438
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 6, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC – The Collaborative for CBD Science and Safety (CCSS; www.CBD-Collaborative.org) officially launched today with a mission to bring together stakeholders to exchange information, build alliances around shared interests and priorities, and respond to policies and practices affecting cannabidiol (CBD) research, safety and quality.
As the global community combats the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis exposes and reinforces the need for evidence-based, regulatory framework for FDA-approved medicines and regulated healthcare products critical to public health. The same pseudoscience that offers false hopes for cures and treatments for COVID-19 has plagued the CBD market too, promising to treat all manners of disease and creating major public health risks with unregulated and untested products. Similar to the fraudulent vaccines, treatments and cures that have flooded the market, online and off, for COVID-19, the CBD marketplace includes reputable firms and products, along with bad actors touting poor quality products with unrealistic health claims—placing countless consumers at risk.
CCSS launches today to reflect the diversity of interests who are dedicated to science and safety in the CBD market. CCSS will serve as a forum in which to share perspectives, educate and advocate on CBD, and by doing so, ultimately to promote an environment that prioritizes public health and safety.
“Recognizing the growing interest in and utilization of CBD-based products by consumers throughout the United States, it is imperative that we incentivize research and development of products that promote the health and safety of consumers,” said Anna Hyde, Vice President of Advocacy and Access at the Arthritis Foundation and a representative of the CCSS Steering Committee. “By promoting research and creating infrastructure that prioritizes testing, standards and best practices, all stand to benefit. Consumers and healthcare providers will have access to high quality products they can trust which in turn allows for the industry to continue to innovate.”
An evidence-based regulatory framework and strong incentives for continued research for CBD are necessary to combat the growing public health concerns affecting millions of Americans: unregulated and untested products containing CBD. These products line the shelves of gyms, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations across the country without recognized quality standards, appropriate label warnings and assurances of safety, posing significant threats to consumers. An unregulated marketplace combined with an uninformed public poses potential dangers from these CBD products.
“By working together across sectors – from the industry to academia, clinicians to non-profit and public health leaders– we can truly make a difference,” said Steering Committee Member Chuck Ingoglia, President and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health. “All parties are interested in bringing safe CBD-based products and treatments to patients and consumers. The Collaborative gives us the opportunity to ensure all perspectives are considered in the development of thoughtful and evidence-based discourse going forward.”
The CCSS is co-convened by leading national organizations including: Aimed Alliance, Arthritis Foundation, Consumer Brands Association, Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), Greenwich Biosciences, LegitScript, National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD), National Consumers League (NCL), National Council for Behavioral Health, and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). In their capacity as CCSS Steering Committee members, they will develop and advocate for policies to improve safety and quality of CBD and CBD-derived products and encourage further research into CBD and other cannabinoids.
The CBD Collaborative has convened around five priority areas of interest that will set a foundation for the organization to build upon:
1. Scientific Research, Development and Incentives;
2. Regulation, Oversight, and Enforcement;
3. Product Testing and Standards;
4. Marketing, Advertising, and Sales; and
5. Consumer Awareness and Stakeholder Education.
To learn more about the CBD Collaborative or inquire about participation, please visit: www.CBD-Collaborative.org.
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About CCSS
The Collaborative for CBD Science and Safety (CCSS) provides a forum for stakeholders to exchange information, build alliances around shared interests and priorities, and respond to policies and practices affecting cannabidiol (CBD) research, safety and quality. Please visit www.CBD-Collaborative.org for more information.