Former US Surgeon General Richard Carmona Discusses His Involvement In CBD Company

By Natan Ponieman and Javier Hasse.

Last July, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona joined Kadenwood’s advisory board. Kadenwood is a privately-held lifestyle company that produces and manufactures CBD products.

Dr. Carmona, who served as the country’s 17th Surgeon General from 2002 to 2006 under President George W. Bush, discussed with Benzinga his involvement with Kadenwood.

Taking CBD Seriously

“I received many calls from CBD companies to be an advisor or join a board. Kadenwood was the only group willing to adhere to my requirements in this fragmented market, largely driven by anecdotes and little science,” he said.

Carmona’s requirements were simple, yet strict:

• Never sell to children.
• Engage the FDA and other regulatory agencies with appropriate regulations to protect the public.
• Never provide false or non-scientific information to the public.
• Engage in research to define the CBD space and the preventive and therapeutic indications for CBD, as well as identify risks or potential harm.
• Strive to educate the public as more scientific information becomes available.

The doctor told us that he has not yet supported cannabis legalization since there is far too much still unknown about its recreational and therapeutic use.

“That is not to say there may be appropriate indications, but the science is still evolving," he said. "However, we do know of some scientifically derived deleterious short and long term effects of cannabis.”

Although Carmona has not discussed these topics with current Surgeon General Jerome Adams, he believes that for public safety, the Federal Government needs to become involved to ensure purity from seed to feed, as well as to clearly define therapeutic uses and potential harm.

Carmona concluded by highlighting the irony behind the current federal law, in his words “not fully thought out”, which only allows for hemp-derived CBD and not marijuana-derived CBD.

"CBD, when purified appropriately, is identical from both sources," he said, stating his disagreement with the fact that it’s considered a crime when the same identical compound is derived from marijuana.

Lead image by Ilona Szentivanyi. Copyright: Benzinga.