Last week, North Carolina regulators followed the lead of public health officials in several other states and began cracking down on CBD-infused products. Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, is one of over 100 cannabinoids, such as THC, found in the cannabis plant. Unlike THC, it doesn’t have consciousness-altering effects and can’t give you a “high.” Many believe CBD consumption has a variety of health benefits, from relieving pain and anxiety to treating epilepsy, which has recently made CBD a popular food and drink additive. While the 2018 Farm Bill made the sale and production of hemp-derived CBD oil legal, the FDA has stated that it is unlawful to add CBD to food or dietary supplements, regardless of whether it is hemp-derived. In the past week, New York, Ohio, and Maine have banned the sale of CBD edibles. Now the North Carolina Department of Agriculture (NCDA) has started sending out warning letters to businesses selling food, drinks or animal food containing CBD and notifying them that doing so violates state and federal law. It is the NCDA’s position that CBD oil can’t be added to human or animal food for sale and CBD products can’t make health claims, such as curing or preventing a disease. For now, the NCDA will take an “educate before regulate” approach, informing businesses that sell these products about the NCDA’s stance on them before taking a more assertive approach in the future, if necessary, that could potentially result in seizures and embargos, or fines and penalties.