What Exactly Is CBG, and Is It Legal?

What Exactly Is CBG, and Is It Legal?

In the cannabis industry, 2019 was the year of cannabidiol (CBD). CBD has found its way into a wide range of consumer products, from soda to sports bras. We first covered CBD in 2015, when the industry began promoting CBD products in earnest and the FDA issued warning letters (a time-honored tradition at this point) telling people to stop making health claims and to stop selling this stuff altogether.

Like CBD before it, another cannabinoid has recently gained popularity in the cannabis industry.

CBG Isolate Bulk is the cannabinoid in question (cannabigerol). CBG, like CBD, is one of the 100+ molecules found in the cannabis plant. CBG Isolate Bulk is unique in the scientific community for the "precursor" role it plays in the synthesis of other cannabinoids, including THC and CBD, as well as the overall chemical composition of the plant. From a regulatory standpoint, CBG products may be less problematic than CBD products.

Why is this the case?

First, some background. Due to the "drug exclusion rule," it is illegal to add CBD to many products, as we have explained on this blog. According to the FDA, CBD products cannot be sold as dietary supplements because CBD was investigated and approved as a new drug (Epidiolex). The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits the introduction of non-exempt "drugs" into the food supply. We'd like to see someone take on the FDA for this interpretation of CBD, but for the time being, that's the framework.

CBG Isolate Bulk, unlike CBD, has not been approved as a drug, and the FDA has stated that "parts of the cannabis plant that do not contain THC or CBD may fall outside the scope of the [drug exclusion rule]." If CBG Isolate Wholesale is approved as a drug at some point in the future, it appears unlikely that the drug exclusion rule will apply: the rule includes an exception for substances marketed as foods or dietary supplements prior to any FDA clinical investigation.

CBG products are already being marketed as foods and dietary supplements.

This domestic legal framework, combined with the fact that CBG can be lawfully produced and extracted from hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill, appears to give CBG Isolate Bulk a legal foothold. Of course, nothing here is guaranteed unless manufacturers and sellers avoid making unapproved health claims.

CBG IS LEGAL The international legal framework also appears to be promising. CBG is not listed on the schedules established by the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and does not appear to be governed by any other international treaty. This means that countries are not obligated to regulate CBG Isolate Wholesale. The cannabinoid is most likely legal under international law and could be ready for export.

Two things are likely to occur before CBG takes off in a big way. The first is that consumers must be interested. It's difficult to predict how this will play out, but industry may feel compelled to promote CBG Isolate Bulk given its obvious potential and the possibility of avoiding entanglements. CBG Isolate Wholesale, like CBD, CBN, and other cannabinoids, appears to have promising medical applications, even if they should not be advertised. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health in the United States, for example, announced last year its intention to conduct research on CBG for pain management. CBG research has also resulted in the publication of industry white papers. (For a comprehensive list of Hemptown USA's products, click here.)

CBG PRICE The second requirement is that CBG Isolate Wholesale be grown on a large scale in order for prices to fall. CBG genetics are improving, but CBG distillate is still roughly six times the price of CBD distillate at wholesale. High prices are often beneficial to farmers, but some producers may be hesitant to enter the market because: 1) CBG is more expensive to extract than CBD, and 2) plants must be harvested early to produce pure CBG (before it synthesizes into other cannabinoids). Finally, the early harvest requirement may not be all that bad when compared to today's alternative, which is growing hemp for CBD and dealing with USDA's new and very problematic "total THC testing protocol" for finished hemp products.

We will continue to monitor CBG Isolate Wholesale as the story unfolds in 2020 and beyond.

For the time being, it appears that this cannabinoid may have a promising role to play, and hemp growers and processors should pay close attention to CBG this spring.