A legal form of marijuana is taking off across Texas. Cannabis oil, or CBD, was legalized by the Texas Legislature in 2015 for treatment of certain medical conditions like epilepsy. Unlike marijuana's other active chemical THC, CBD doesn't produce a high, but has been used to relieve pain and symptoms in some medical patients. After initially opening just a handful of dispensaries for CBD, the industry is starting to take off statewide as demand has grown.
"Now there are dedicated CBD stores that are popping up almost overnight, because everyone is trying to take advantage of what everyone believes is the healing power of CBD," says Morris Denton, CEO of Compassionate Cultivation, the first grower licensed by Texas for CBD production. Indeed, as the cannabis market has surged, one CBD producer is pledging to open 30 new stores in Texas within 90 days. Even Coca-Cola is looking to produce cannabis-laced beverages.
But all of these new cannabis products on store shelves are not necessarily what they appear to be. That's because unlike Compassionate Cultivation, the producers are not licensed by the state. "Those products are not regulated by any federal or state agency, there's no requirements for quality, for consistency, or for adherence to the labeling on those products," says Denton. "People are purchasing snake oil, and hoping that it delivers the purported benefits, but more often than not what they're buying is a bottle that is empty of any CBD."