The courts have deemed Delta-8 THC legal, but just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. We discussed hemp regulations and ethics with Chase Terwilliger, CEO of CBDistillery.
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Chase Terwilliger has a broad background in business management and entrepreneurial endeavors. After attending the University of Colorado, Boulder, he started his career working in the medical device field, but after selling a company to Johnson & Johnson, he wanted to branch out.
Shifting his focus away from healthcare, “I was specifically looking for a technology group that had the potential to change people’s lives, Terwilliger said. Soon after that, he became the first employee for Silvernest, a roommate matching platform for baby boomers and empty nesters with a room to rent.
Then, a family member invested in a small CBD company that needed his help, so Terwilliger agreed to help them temporarily. But, as he puts it, “Then the testimonials started coming in, and I realized we were changing people’s lives.”
Chase was hooked, and now, as the CEO of CBDistillery, a branch of Balanced Health Botanicals, he stated, “I get to combine healthcare and technology and change the world while increasing people’s quality of life.”
Hemp Regulations and Ethics, Addressing the Delta-8 Elephant in the Room
A recent decision out of the 9th Circuit Court puts any question of the federal legality of Delta-8 to rest. According to their findings, Delta-8 is legal at the federal level.
Terwilliger admits that Balanced Health Botanicals and CBDistillery looked into it. He stated during the podcast, “We have a fiduciary responsibility to look at all opportunities for our stakeholders.”
He added that the company does its own self-affirmed GRAS tests and toxicology studies and then sends their results to be reviewed by a board of toxicologists. Regarding Delta-8 products, he stated, “We were embarrassed even to submit our results on Delta-8…we could not achieve a safety profile we were comfortable with.”
Moving Forward
Chase believes we must regulate the hemp industry like cannabis or similar to any other dietary supplement with good manufacturing practices, recall data, and clean facilities not only for Delta-8 production but all hemp production in general.
In Colorado, the protocols have been in place for hemp but with very little enforcement. Thanks to Bill 205, the Attorney General has a budget to address some of these issues. Terwilliger believes they will crack down on Delta-8 producers first, as they are the more significant safety concern, but warns, “then, they’ll go after other hemp producers who are cutting corners.”
With a lack of standardized testing requirements and production processes, consumers have “very little room to figure out who’s safe.” But, brand recognition and trust only come when consumers start seeing the products in box stores, such as CVS, Walgreens, and Kroger. Unfortunately, without safety and quality assurances in place, these companies will not entertain hemp products or take on any liability for selling the products.
When asked about whether or not CBDistillery plans on adding Delta-8 products in the future, Terwilliger said, “Let’s put it this way, would Delta-8 exist if cannabis was federally legal? No, it’s simply a loophole to bypass laws and make a few bucks, and sometimes that’s how businesses operate.–But if it’s going to remain legal, it must have regulation, testing, and strict guard rails around marketing it.”
Learn More in the Video Podcast
CBDistillery is one of the top brands in the world, and Terwilliger believes its track record of trust and transparency will be the gold standard for hemp products in the future. Learn more about Balanced Health Botanicals and their mission to keep cannabinoids naturally derived and safe for the consumer by watching the interview.
