Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/1188968
www.AbbysHealthFood.com - Issue 40 | Page 27 • Benefits: "As more people become educated about the space, full spectrum/whole plant is thought to be the most premium product," said Tony Sparks, co-founder of West Des Moines, Iowa-based CBD distributor Be erment Retail Solu ons. That's due to the fact that full-spectrum hemp includes all the cannabinoids, terpenes and other beneficial parts of the cannabis plant, which many describe as an "entourage effect." • Concerns: The biggest concern for retailers and full- spectrum product is the inclusion of THC. "There does appear to be a significant group of people who either don't want THC or that THC specifically creates a liability," said Miguel Mar n, president and CEO of Reliva CBD LLC, Na ck, Mass. Broad Spectrum: Whole Plant, No THC • Defini on: Broad spectrum is a rela vely new and evolving term in the industry. But Lanier said the current general defini on is "the extract of the flower, without THC, but most other cannabinoids—the THC has been removed en rely." • Legality: Because broad-spectrum products contain no THC, they too are legal under the Farm Bill but subject to FDA oversight. • Benefits: Broad-spectrum products seem to offer the most benefit for consumers who either don't want or can't have THC but s ll want the other beneficial aspects of the cannabis plant. • Concerns: Because it's a rela vely new—and not federally regulated— segment, Sparks warned there's a lot of mislabeling of broad- spectrum products. Some may not, in fact, include other cannabinoids as promised. Addi onally, the process of removing the THC is costly, which can drive up the price for consumers. Isolate: CBD Only • Defini on: "Isolate is the isolated cannabinoid from the extrac on of the flower such that it contains a singular chemical compound, such as CBD, and no other cannabinoids," said Lanier. • Legality: Ini ally there were concerns that because the FDA has approved a CBD isolate drug called Epidiolex, either the agency of the maker of that drug (GW Pharmaceu cals) would treat CBD isolate different than products using whole plant extract. That has not come to frui on. In statements made thus far by the FDA, the focus has been on CBD as a whole—not isolate compared to full spectrum. "Not one of the state regula ons have drawn a dis nc on between the different formats," added Mar n. • Benefits: Though broad spectrum is now an op on for those consumers who can't have any THC, isolate is probably the safest bet due to the way it's produced. "When you just isolate out CBD, you take away any concern about THC," said Mar n. The value and assurance of 0% THC with an isolate product makes it a strong op on for retailers looking for consistent, high-quality 0% THC products." Addi onally, there are some types of products where isolate powder is the best—or only—op on. For example, water infused with full- spectrum CBD oil probably wouldn't taste or appear as desirable as water infused with isolated CBD powder. "Isolate strips away terpenes, flavor profiles and more," said Sparks. "If you're looking to produce a product that doesn't have a lot of the cannabis flavoring, isolate is the primary way to do so." • Concerns: Some have argued the inclusion of just CBD means these products are not as effec ve as the whole plant op ons. While it's true that isolate products do not contain THC or other cannabinoids, Landis points out the isolate process has proven to be an effec ve op on across a plethora of consumer product goods. "Caffeine is derived from different plants, isolated into a powder and reintroduced into food products," he said. "Nothing's really been invented here: the processing techniques already existed in all types of food manufacturing. CBD works perfectly fine on its own."