LANSING — Health officials have ordered two Lansing coffee shops to remove cannabis-derived products from their shelves.

A sanitarian with the Ingham County Health Department contacted the Crafted Bean and Strange Matter Coffee Tuesday and told the businesses to stop selling cannabidiol, commonly called CBD or CBD oil.

CBD is a cannabis extract, but it typically contains little to none of the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). That means CBD does not get people high.

Proponents say the product helps with conditions including anxiety, pain and insomnia, although experts say more research is needed into the effects of the substance.

Some people apply CBD oil to their skin to soothe irritation. The compound is also popular as an ingredient in baked goods, coffee and cocktails.

But, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved cannabidiol as a food additive, prompting the Ingham County Health Department to take action against the coffee shops Tuesday, health department spokeswoman Amanda Darche said.

The Ingham County Health Department targeted the coffee shops for enforcement because the department oversees food safety, Darche said.

The businesses were not fined, although failure to comply could result in financial penalties.

A farm bill signed by President Donald Trump in December 2018 effectively legalized CBD use by classifying cannabidiol with less than 0.3 percent THC as industrial hemp rather than marijuana.

There is a catch, however.

A licensing structure has not yet been approved by the United States Department of Agriculture to regulate CBD. That means the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development has not yet issued any licenses to hemp growers.

The result is a confusing legal landscape, said Joshua Covert, an attorney who has fought to legalize cannabis through the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

"It's been a weird, bumpy road with CBD in Michigan," Covert said. "We're in this sort of limbo where it's not clear what's going to be allowed and when."

Personal use of CBD is legal in Michigan, Covert said.

And Covert argues businesses may be legally able to sell CBD if the compound is not marketed as a food. Food products are under oversight from the USDA.

For instance, businesses may be legally permitted to sell CBD that is smoked or used in lotion, Covert suggested.

"It doesn’t need to be regulated like marijuana," Covert said of CBD. "It’s not marijuana."

Michigan voted in 2018 to make it legal for adults age 21 and over to use marijuana recreationally. Medical marijuana has been legal across the state since 2008.

Ingham County's CBD enforcement follows similar action across the country from health officials in localities including New York City and metro Detroit.

The Oakland County Health Division and the Detroit Health Department recently told restaurants and bars to stop selling CBD, the Detroit Free Press has reported.

As of Tuesday, no food-service businesses in Eaton or Clinton counties had been targets of CBD enforcement, health officials said.

The Barry-Eaton District Health Department, which oversees Barry and Eaton counties, has not received any complaints about CBD at restaurants or bars.

An official with the Mid-Michigan District Health Department said that agency has not encountered CBD at any of the restaurants it inspects in Clinton, Gratiot and Montcalm counties.

Strange Matter sold Colorado-grown CBD from a company called Suu Kuu. The compound could be bought in vials or added to a drink for $2 extra, according to the coffee shop's social media posts.

A Strange Matter representative confirmed that the health department visited the business' locations in downtown Lansing and the city's east side. The staff member said the company would comply with the order, but didn't comment further.

"We love Lansing, our customers and CBD," said Justin Hartig, owner of the Crafted Bean, which has locations in Lansing and DeWitt. "I hope we are able to enjoy all of them together again soon."

More:

Recreational marijuana is legal, but Lansing's largest employers don't allow it

Are you too high to drive? That'll depend on where you get pulled over

Contact Sarah Lehr at (517) 377-1056 or slehr@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahGLehr.

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