HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program and CBD products were the topic of a House health committee hearing at the State Capitol.

The general consensus was that there needs to be stronger regulation when it comes to CBD products.

Over the course of 2 hours, legislators and speakers talked about the differences between medical marijuana, recreational marijuana, hemp, THC, and CBD.

“Hemp almost by definition has a very, very low, almost undetectable level of THC,” Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health, said. “It is predominately CBD.”

Dr. Levine said she’s not opposed to CBD, but she doesn’t want people thinking it’s the same as medical marijuana, or anywhere near as effective when it comes to treatment.

“Since it is unregulated, there are significant concerns about the quality,” Dr. Levine said. “Safety, and actually about the content of the hemp-based CBD products in Pennsylvania and in the country, and in fact we have no idea about the location of where CBD products that are in convienence stores are made.”

Be it medical marijuana, recreational, or CBD, State Representative Jerry Knowles, who represents parts of Berks, Schulylkill and Carbon counties, is against it all.

“It is a schedule I drug by the FDA,” Rep. Knowles said.  “So it’s illegal. No matter how you look at it. What we’re doing is violating federal law.”

His concern is that the process to legalize marijuana happened too fast, and more research should be done.

“I know that there were certain states where they handed out medical marijuana cards the way Santa Claus hands out candy canes at Christmas,” Rep. Knowles said. “I understand we are doing a better job in terms of that. But I think we have to move a little slower, I think we have to be careful.”

Dr. Levine said it’s hard to say what the impact of CBD is on the medical marijuana program, if any. The big push now is to have CBD regulated at the state level.