Q&A: Green Roads’ Baldwin Fuentes outlines CBD road map
With retailers and consumers becoming more and more interested in the CBD market, and more questions sprouting up about the category, Drug Store News sat down with Green Roads’ co-founder and licensed compounding pharmacist, Laura Baldwin Fuentes, to talk about the category.
Drug Store News: There are a lot of questions about CBD out there, how do you help answer them?
Laura Baldwin Fuentes: CBD is a hot topic in the world of pharmaceuticals for good reason. Every day, new research emerges revealing the support this compound can offer. If you’re adding CBD to your shelves, you need to be ready for an abundance of common questions from customers. People who want to do what’s best for their own health often get lost in the flood of misinformation out there. At Green Roads, a key part of our vision is to lead the CBD industry in education.
We hear from many people who are not comfortable with the idea of a cannabis product, but who are curious about CBD after hearing people they know rave about what it brought to their life. You can be a valuable resource for these customers and build trust in your brand when your staff is properly educated.
We make it a priority to get as much accurate information out there as possible. That’s why we want all of our retailers to feel confident when speaking to customers about CBD.
DSN: A lot of consumers ask whether CBD has psychoactive properties.
LBF: CBD is nonintoxicating. There’s every reason to think you can add CBD to your everyday health routine any time of day, any day of the week. You’ll see a lot of people write or say that CBD is nonpsychoactive. That’s not technically correct. They’re trying to convey that CBD is different from THC, the compound that produces the high associated with marijuana. We use the term nonintoxicating to convey the same point because it is more accurate.
At Green Roads, we make products that contain only non-detectable levels of THC. The legal limit is 0.3%, which is already far too low to produce a high. While some brands are right at the legal limit, we reduce the level of THC of our products even further, just to reassure people.
DSN: What is a broad-spectrum hemp oil and how is it different from CBD?
LBF: Full-spectrum oils include all elements of the plant from which it is derived. That means the oil has other cannabinoids, terpenes and chlorophylls. People use this term to differentiate the product from CBD isolates, which you can think of like concentrates. CBD isolate is often an ingredient in a product rather than a product on its own. By definition, THC is part of the full spectrum of a hemp plant. As such, we use the term broad spectrum because we want to reflect that we’ve reduced the THC in our product to non-detectable levels. Research indicates that full and broad-spectrum oils may be a more natural way to consume CBD than taking isolates.
DSN: What’s the most ideal CBD formulation to offer consumers?
LBF: We design CBD products to fit into a wide range of lifestyles. Oils are an excellent part of a daily supplement routine. CBD oils have a high bioavailability. That means your body can absorb and use the supplement quickly and efficiently. If you need a convenient, on-the-go way to take CBD when needed, then gummies might be the way to go. Many people appreciate being able to keep track the milligrams of CBD they consumed through gummies, as well. We pride ourselves on product consistency for exactly this reason. If you’re looking for some on-the-spot relief and support, the topicals are a great option.
DSN: How do retailers and their customers know they’re getting the real deal with the CBD products they offer?
LBF: This is an excellent and important question. It makes sense that your customers would ask about product quality. After all, this is a young industry. There are many news stories about inauthentic products or inconsistent ingredients. That’s why we lead the way with product QR codes that link directly to batch-specific third-party lab sheets. We believe consumers have a right to know that the products they are taking don’t have heavy metals, pesticides or microbes in them.
CBD is the most exciting health story of our generation. The more we all do to distribute accurate information, the more we can help people find natural, alternative support for their overall well-being.
Laura Baldwin Fuentes is a co-founder of Green Roads and a licensed compounding pharmacist.
Drug Store News: There are a lot of questions about CBD out there, how do you help answer them?
Laura Baldwin Fuentes: CBD is a hot topic in the world of pharmaceuticals for good reason. Every day, new research emerges revealing the support this compound can offer. If you’re adding CBD to your shelves, you need to be ready for an abundance of common questions from customers. People who want to do what’s best for their own health often get lost in the flood of misinformation out there. At Green Roads, a key part of our vision is to lead the CBD industry in education.
We hear from many people who are not comfortable with the idea of a cannabis product, but who are curious about CBD after hearing people they know rave about what it brought to their life. You can be a valuable resource for these customers and build trust in your brand when your staff is properly educated.
We make it a priority to get as much accurate information out there as possible. That’s why we want all of our retailers to feel confident when speaking to customers about CBD.
DSN: A lot of consumers ask whether CBD has psychoactive properties.
LBF: CBD is nonintoxicating. There’s every reason to think you can add CBD to your everyday health routine any time of day, any day of the week. You’ll see a lot of people write or say that CBD is nonpsychoactive. That’s not technically correct. They’re trying to convey that CBD is different from THC, the compound that produces the high associated with marijuana. We use the term nonintoxicating to convey the same point because it is more accurate.
At Green Roads, we make products that contain only non-detectable levels of THC. The legal limit is 0.3%, which is already far too low to produce a high. While some brands are right at the legal limit, we reduce the level of THC of our products even further, just to reassure people.
DSN: What is a broad-spectrum hemp oil and how is it different from CBD?
LBF: Full-spectrum oils include all elements of the plant from which it is derived. That means the oil has other cannabinoids, terpenes and chlorophylls. People use this term to differentiate the product from CBD isolates, which you can think of like concentrates. CBD isolate is often an ingredient in a product rather than a product on its own. By definition, THC is part of the full spectrum of a hemp plant. As such, we use the term broad spectrum because we want to reflect that we’ve reduced the THC in our product to non-detectable levels. Research indicates that full and broad-spectrum oils may be a more natural way to consume CBD than taking isolates.
DSN: What’s the most ideal CBD formulation to offer consumers?
LBF: We design CBD products to fit into a wide range of lifestyles. Oils are an excellent part of a daily supplement routine. CBD oils have a high bioavailability. That means your body can absorb and use the supplement quickly and efficiently. If you need a convenient, on-the-go way to take CBD when needed, then gummies might be the way to go. Many people appreciate being able to keep track the milligrams of CBD they consumed through gummies, as well. We pride ourselves on product consistency for exactly this reason. If you’re looking for some on-the-spot relief and support, the topicals are a great option.
DSN: How do retailers and their customers know they’re getting the real deal with the CBD products they offer?
LBF: This is an excellent and important question. It makes sense that your customers would ask about product quality. After all, this is a young industry. There are many news stories about inauthentic products or inconsistent ingredients. That’s why we lead the way with product QR codes that link directly to batch-specific third-party lab sheets. We believe consumers have a right to know that the products they are taking don’t have heavy metals, pesticides or microbes in them.
CBD is the most exciting health story of our generation. The more we all do to distribute accurate information, the more we can help people find natural, alternative support for their overall well-being.
Laura Baldwin Fuentes is a co-founder of Green Roads and a licensed compounding pharmacist.