The Vitamin Shoppe (New Jersey) started stocking its shelves with oral CBD soft gels and will start selling CBD drops by the end of the month, according to a report by CNBC. It’s one of the first major national retailers to sell CBD supplements.
Vitamin Shoppe will stock Irwin Naturals full spectrum hemp extract soft gels, which is the entire slate of cannabinoids found in the hemp plant, including CBD. At the end of the month, Vitamin Shoppe will also start selling Garden of Life Dr. Formulated Broad Spectrum CBD Extract soft gels and liquid drops. These products will be available in 14 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
“The customer relationship is the cornerstone of The Vitamin Shoppe’s reinvention, and our customers have told us loud and clear they want CBD,” Vitamin Shoppe CEO Sharon Leite said in a statement.
Vitamin Shoppe started selling hemp extract essential oils nationwide in March.
CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid all recently said they would carry CBD-infused products in some states. For now, they all plan to carry only creams, lip balms or other items you apply to the skin. Although Congress legalized hemp-based CBD late last year, the FDA said it’s still technically illegal to add the cannabis compound to food, drinks and dietary supplements until it has a chance to write new rules for the market.
Vitamin Shoppe declined to comment on whether it has any concerns about violating the FDA’s rules, but former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has been on the record for saying that the agency considers most CBD products on the market to be unlawful. He also stated, “We’re using enforcement discretion right now. I will take enforcement action against CBD products that are on the market if manufacturers are making what I consider over-the-line claims.”


