It’s hard to avoid the proliferation of products featuring CBD oil – everything from candles and soaps to toothpaste and bitters.  Because CBD oil can be derived from both marijuana (which is not legal in every state) and hemp (which is), there is little regulation regarding cannabidoil. It has been hailed as an anti-inflammatory, sleep aid, relaxant and pain reducer, with little scientific research to show the optimal way to access these benefits.

An online article by Jill Kiedaisch for Popular Mechanics states, “Given the infusion of CBD into the health and wellness marketplace, any natural products company not pursuing potential CBD enhancements is missing the magic bus.” And the gift industry seems to be seeing more and more of its vendors getting into the CBD field as well. In fact, at the recent NY NOW gift show CBD was specifically mentioned as part of its Wellness section.

Should your store carry products with CBD oil? This potentially helpful natural remedy is not psychoactive, so there is probably no harm in its inclusion in products such as chocolate, lip balm and sleep masks. However the fact that its use is so unregulated means that caution needs to be taken when it comes to making health claims such as “reduces pain” or “calms anxiety.”

If you are going to carry oils, salves and tinctures, however, you will want to make sure that you know something about the company you are buying from.  CBD products are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which means that the ingredients could vary widely in the quality and amount of active ingredients.  Pharmacist Peg Breuer also points out that “there can be drug and food interactions when using CBD products.   Consumers should check with sellers to assure that the product manufacturers have testing results available and meets scientific standards.”

A number of CBD businesses have opened in our community recently, and Progressive Grocer reports that CBD oil is coming to major grocery stores. They also point out that “Nationwide drug store chains CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens all recently revealed that they would begin selling various hemp-derived CBD health products, including creams, patches and sprays, at a collective total of more than 2,500 stores.”  So we’ve decided that at least in our area, customers wanting CBD oil products will have plenty of options – without our shop hopping on the magic bus too.

But that is not to say that promoting the fact that you have CDB oil won’t help draw customers to your store, or give the products with CBD oil an edge over those that don’t include it.  Only you and your staff can decide for sure whether expanding your inventory to take advantage of this trend will be worthwhile.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder