The largest drugstore chain in the U.S. announces plans to sell cannabis products

Emma Spears - thegrowthop.com Posted 5 years ago
image

CVS is jumping on the CBD bandwagon.

The mammoth American drugstore chain has announced that it will sell CBD-infused products in 800 stores across eight U.S. states: Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Maryland.

“We are carrying hemp-derived CBD products in select states to help meet consumer demand for alternative care options,” said CVS spokesperson Mike DeAngelis.

  • A Native American tribe has become Las Vegas’ most unlikely cannabis powerhouse
  • OPINION: 1+1=3? Does the entourage effect theory hold water?
  • Chewing cannabis is a thing now — but only in California

A psychoactive but non-intoxicating cannabis-derived cannabinoid, CBD has been legal since late last year when the federal farm bill was passed, allowing the compound to be added to topical and cosmetic products if derived from hemp.

The drugstore will be adding CBD balms, salves, creams, sprays, and roll-ons to its inventory in what CVS refers to as providing consumers with an “alternative source of relief.”

CNBC reports that the CVS says the claims of effectiveness “will vary from product-to-product,” but that the drugstore has no intention of marketing CBD-infused goods as a “cure-all.”

1A GettyImages 885651426 e1553265971796 The largest drugstore chain in the U.S. announces plans to sell cannabis products

The mammoth American drugstore chain has announced that it will sell CBD-infused products in 800 stores across eight U.S. states: Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Maryland.

“We’re going to walk slowly, but this is something we think our customers will be looking for,” CVS Health CEO Larry Merlo said in an interview this week.

Despite the popularity of and buzz around CBD, American companies are limited in what products can be infused with the compound; adding CBD food and drinks is still prohibited on a federal level by the Food and Drug Administration.

 

Want to keep up to date on what’s happening in the world of cannabis?  Subscribe to the Cannabis Post newsletter for weekly insights into the industry, what insiders will be talking about and content from across the Postmedia Network.