Weavers Way ahead of curve on cannabidiol (CBD) oil trend

Posted 1/25/19

The CBD oil products sold by Weavers Way are advertised prominently in the store's front window. (Photo by Brendan Sample) by Brendan Sample Over the past year, products containing cannabidiol (CBD) …

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Weavers Way ahead of curve on cannabidiol (CBD) oil trend

Posted

The CBD oil products sold by Weavers Way are advertised prominently in the store's front window. (Photo by Brendan Sample)

by Brendan Sample

Over the past year, products containing cannabidiol (CBD) oil have taken the health world by storm. A nonintoxicating extract of the cannabis plant, referred to as a cannabinoid, CBD oil products have been used to treat a wide variety of health issues, including stress and anxiety, peripheral neuropathy and even epileptic seizures. Though research into its advantages and disadvantages is still being conducted, one Chestnut Hill store has been ahead of the curve in this area.

Weavers Way Next Door has been selling CBD oil products for approximately two years now. Some of the products it offers containing the cannabinoid include creams, balms, patches and gummies, in addition to a variety of different kinds of oils.

According to Christopher Mallam, Wellness Manager at Weavers, the store’s decision to start selling CBD oil products was not motivated by simply wanting to jump on the bandwagon of a popular trend.

“In being in the supplement industry for a while, we saw this as something that wouldn’t just be a fad,” Mallam said. “It’s something that needs research, but definitely is also proved to be something from which people will find some benefit.”

Though CBD oil does not have the same kind of intoxicating properties as other cannabinoids, most notably tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), its connection to the cannabis plant still means that it carries some of the negative connotations associated with marijuana. This is something that has come into play a lot with the products sold at Weavers, but the staff is still able to get past any inaccurate stereotypes in order to give an accurate account of what they can do.

“There’s definitely a big learning curve with people who are very misinformed about what we sell here compared to anything else,” Mallam explained. “There’s a lot of negativity toward the plant itself, but we've been able to kind of show how this has a healing benefit to it compared to any negative contrast there.”

A recent story in the Chicago Tribune on the CBD trend noted that the FDA has ruled it illegal to claim the oil can ease any symptoms outside of epilepsy, the only benefit shown in a clinical trial. A source for that story, Dr. Melinda Ring, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern University, said the oil was safe, but that people should be careful using it.

“There is very little we know for sure,” she told the Tribune. “In general, CBD is overall a relatively safe compound. I think it has a lot of potential benefits. We just have to be careful not to think this is the latest magic.”

A collection of the various kinds of CBD oil products that Weavers Way Next Door offers. (Photo by Brendan Sample)

While official age recommendations are restricted to 18 and older, there have been plenty of documented instances of people under 18 using CBD oil products to great advantage. In some instances, children as young as two years old have taken CBD oils to combat epileptic seizures. Weavers recognizes that there can be both serious benefits and drawbacks to having children use the products and wants to keep parents as informed as possible given whatever circumstances they may be going through.

“If we have the parents’ discretion and know what they're using it for with their child, it can be a possibility,” Mallam said. “We've had those difficult conversations with parents in here that are wondering about using it, and we get to take a step back and realize that that's the parent’s decision, really, if they want to proceed.

“Even though all of our products contain 0.3% or less of the THC, that THC will eventually store up. So if it was taken on a daily basis, there is a potential for it to have a false positive in a drug test, and in that case, of course, parents can be held responsible for such things.”

As it looks ahead to 2019 and beyond, Weavers remains dedicated to keeping the community informed about the uses of CBD oil products. One of the store’s biggest hopes for the future is to gain more official recognition on the products so as to further assure customers of their quality.

“With this line in particular, I think we’re just really focusing on getting more certified,” Mallam said. “The next level is Non-GMO certification on our products as well as organic certification, which is the aspiration that we're looking for – to have that premium product that people are looking for.”

Brendan Sample can be reached at brendan@chestnuthilllocal.com

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