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And the green rush continues.
Food & Wine reports that Walgreens Boots Alliance will be selling CBD-based sprays, creams, and patches in 1,500 stores throughout nine states. Though Walgreens has not specified which CBD brands will be offered in its stores, you can expect these products to hit shelves in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Vermont.
“Marijuana has been used to relieve pain, digestive and psychological disorders for more than 3,000 years—but the efficacy, safety and legality of the drug are still widely debated,” Walgreens said in a recent corporate blog post. “Research on the health benefits of marijuana is ongoing, but current studies have proven that cannabinoid receptors play an important role in many body processes, including metabolic regulation, cravings, pain, anxiety, bone growth and immune function.”
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The news comes after CVS announced that it’d, too, be making room for CBD products on the shelves of 800 of its stores—just in time for the announcement of Jelly Belly’s CBD jelly beans and Coca-Cola’s forthcoming cannabis-infused beverages, which may be available at your local drugstore very soon (depending on where you live, of course).
Meanwhile in New York, where the legalization of recreational cannabis use remains up in air (but may still happen soon), the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is cracking down on CBD. Last month the department shut down Fat Cat Kitchen’s CBD-infused baked goods, including its top-selling cookie that included chocolate chunks, salt flakes, and an infusion of CBD.
The health department said in a statement that New York City eateries were not “permitted to add anything to food or drink that is not approved as safe to eat,” including CBD, which is not “deemed safe as a food additive,” according to the department. This despite various scientific studies backing up its many benefits, including its uses as a remedy for anxiety, pain, inflammation, insomnia, and more.
Read more about Walgreen’s latest move here.
