Public Health Institute of Chile Issues Warning About Counterfeit CBD Products

Health authorities in Chile have discovered that cannabis legalization comes with complications. Prohibitionists might expect complications such as “stoned” people showing up to work or “high” people getting behind the wheel and causing accidents. This is nowhere near what is actually happening. In fact, as cannabis legalization comes out of the illicit market and into the newly emerging legal green side, a mix of the light side and the dark side leaves a gray area in the middle.

Weeding Out the Bad 

This gray area has been the operation area for countless businesses aiming to capitalize and take advantage of the new interest in cannabis products such as CBD. The United States experienced many different issues with CBD legalization. The FDA has had to send out many different cease-and-desist orders over the years to companies marketing false claims about what their products could do. This is very similar to the problem being seen in Chile by health authorities responsible for monitoring the cannabis program there. In Chile, the Public Health Institute recently issued a warning to the public about purchasing CBD products online that do not have the proper sanitary registration.

It seemed almost as soon as the Public Health Institute made this announcement, shady CBD products vanished or suddenly disappeared. In this newly emerging industry, it’s a vital time for investors to work with the proper team to understand the regulations necessary to maintain and comply with the changing laws pertaining to the cannabis space. In a press release to the general public about CBD products, Juan Roldan of the Public Health Institute of Chile said,

“any product that currently does not have a health registration granted by this institute is a counterfeit pharmaceutical product and its quality, safety, and efficiency cannot be guaranteed to the population.”

Treating Medicine Like Medicine 

Chile has taken the approach of treating cannabinoid medicine as precisely that. For a CBD product to be sold in Chile, it must undergo a rigorous evaluation that validates the anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, analgesic, and therapeutic properties contained within the product. These products must have a pre-marketing sanitary registration just like that which is required for any medicine to be sold in the country. Because of this, there is virtually no CBD products on the market in Chile. GW Pharmaceuticals is the only company with a CBD product authorized to be sold in Chile on the Health Authority database. This product is called Sativex, and unlike its producing effects, it has a price tag that is relatively high.

While CBD is Considered Generally Safe For Your Health, You Can’t Trust Everyone

Countless people around the world have testified to the benefits CBD held for them. People and their pets have found this fantastic cannabinoid to make a difference in their lives. They are experiencing everything from a reduction in pain, stress, anxiety, and inflammation all the way to reducing dependency on addictive substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and street drugs. You might say this puts the non-psychoactive CBD in high demand. This creates the perfect platform for dubious individuals to try to profit off of this booming industry. During the process of them profiting, they can overlook profound health issues that could be caused by their products.

An Unfortunate Trend Seen Globally

Maintaining a regulated market for CBD products with the proper authorization to be sold in Chile is vital to providing a safe, effective CBD market for the public. Nothing is worse than someone getting a hold of a product and it not being what it is said to be. This can not only ruin a potentially wonderful experience but also could come with complications which could be very dangerous. When CBD products are not appropriately regulated, there is no telling what might be in them.

Companies in Texas and North Carolina in the United States have been caught selling vape cartridges that were supposed to be CBD that actually caused medical issues requiring immediate medical attention. Other places are trying to learn from these mistakes and prevent them from happening. All CBD is not created equal. If a company does not take the time to acquire the proper paperwork for sales and distribution, they likely didn’t take adequate time to create a quality product either.

For the Sake of Your Health, Always Do Your Research

When vetting CBD products, no matter where you live, it is essential to do your research. If a product promises a world of benefits for $9.99, chances are you are going to get what you pay for. That doesn’t mean that price is always a determining factor for quality. Reviews can be very informative in vetting CBD products as can the transparency of testing that companies offer. As with anything, if it seems to good to be true, it most likely is.