10:22 a.m.
Sunday, June 2, 2019 10:31 am

Maine Gov. Janet Mills used to be the state's attorney general so you would think she knew something about the law, but apparently not.

The Democrat governor in March declared that CBD, the non-psychoactive component of cannabis, to be a food additive thus enabling those in the growing and lucrative CBD farming community to sell their products for human consumption.

However, the FDA has already approved the main ingredient in CBD, Epidolex, as a drug for controlling seizures.

So what is it, governor? A food or a drug.

Maine's decision puts it at odds with federal law, which is nothing new for the state.

Meanwhile, enter Jim Grant, Rochester's Building, Zoning and Licensing director, who recently told all Rochester establishments selling food- or drink-infused CBD to cut it out even as surrounding towns and cities like Dover continue to sell it in coffee and other edibles.

The FDA is charged with making sure food and drug products consumed by Americans are safe.

And while centuries of culture among holistic healers and those pursing health through herbs and other natural remedies hail CBD as an aid against inflammation, anxiety and depression, the federal government says not so fast.

The drug vs. food divide is pivotal. You can't be both, otherwise we would have had oxycodone-infused coffee 20 years ago when the synthetic opioid was, itself, thought to be a safe and effective pain medication.

And since CBD-infused coffee in Dover is sold over the counter - and there's no drinking age on coffee - we can assume teenagers' are drinking it up, too.

Don't we owe it to ourselves to make sure this is safe for people of all ages before we start selling CBD-infused chocolate bars and other edibles at the local convenience store?