The wellness company is the latest to get in on the CBD market
CVS did it, so did Walgreens. Now, The Vitamin Shoppe is getting behind cannabidiol (CBD) and has announced that it will start selling CBD-infused edibles on its shelves in 14 states. While the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) might still be uncertain about how to classify CBD, a number of companies are pushing forward, not willing to wait on the slow wheels of the federal government mechanisms.
CVS and Walgreens only offer topical CBD products. The Vitamin Shoppe is ready to introduce CBD soft gels first, followed by CBD drops later this month. It already offers hemp extract essential oils, which it began selling last month.
The Vitamin Shoppe has never been afraid to push the envelope and has a history of introducing products that might be questionable by some. However, it has always managed to succeed and forge ahead and, despite the concerns about the FDA, the company fully expects its new products to succeed.
The FDA will hold a public hearing at the end of May to determine how to proceed on CBD. That hearing will see attendance by a number of individuals, including subject-matter experts, consumers and businesspeople. Regardless of what many view as a lack of scientific research (in their own minds), there is enough research and anecdotal evidence to support CBD’s value or, at the very least, its lack of negative traits that would prevent it from being legal. After all, the FDA approved food dyes that have been linked to cancer – there’s little reason to prevent CBD from being consumed.