{"id":11158,"date":"2026-07-08T16:46:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabisindustryjournal.com\/?post_type=feature_article&amp;p=38998"},"modified":"2026-07-08T16:46:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:46:32","slug":"why-dietary-supplements-are-the-first-pathway-for-cannabis-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/why-dietary-supplements-are-the-first-pathway-for-cannabis-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Dietary Supplements Are the First Pathway for Cannabis\u00a0Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/why-dietary-supplements-are-the-first-pathway-for-cannabis-medicine\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/why-dietary-supplements-are-the-first-pathway-for-cannabis-medicine.png\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The cannabis industry has spent years waiting for this moment. As federal rescheduling moves forward, so do the opportunities to develop cannabinoid-based supplements and medicines backed by more rigorous scientific research.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For some companies, this isn\u2019t a new direction. It\u2019s the payoff from years of work happening behind the scenes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Alleh Lindquist, CEO and co-founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/flora-works.com\/\">FloraWorks<\/a>, has spent the past several years focused on building the scientific and regulatory foundation for CBN. As a leading supplier of hemp-derived cannabinoids, FloraWorks helped introduce CBN to manufacturers and consumers as a sleep ingredient. But that was only the first step. The company\u2019s goal has always been to position CBN as one of the first cannabinoids to reach the market as an FDA-recognized dietary supplement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">After four years of toxicology studies and safety testing, FloraWorks recently <a href=\"https:\/\/8821907.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net\/hubfs\/8821907\/Lead%20Magnet%20Files\/FloraWorks%20Sleep%20Study-Radicle.pdf\">published peer-reviewed<\/a> research supporting CBN\u2019s safety and self-affirmed the ingredient as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). The company plans to submit its GRAS notification to the FDA, a milestone that could help establish a regulatory pathway for future cannabinoid ingredients.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I spoke with Lindquist about what it takes to navigate the FDA process, why scientific validation matters, and how the order of FDA approvals will shape the future of cannabinoid supplements and medicines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In the next six months, the company expects to file a new dietary ingredient notification with the FDA, a key milestone in its regulatory strategy, even though it is still uncertain how the FDA will respond.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cWe don\u2019t know how they\u2019ll respond to it,\u201d Lindquist said. \u201cIt\u2019s never been accepted before.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Attempts to position CBD as a dietary supplement have repeatedly run into what regulators call \u201cdrug preclusion,\u201d a rule that prevents an ingredient from being marketed as a supplement if it has already been approved as a drug.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Because Epidiolex was approved first, CBD products have struggled to gain acceptance as dietary supplements, even when companies have pursued GRAS determinations or FDA notifications.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThat\u2019s the issue with CBD,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce it became a drug first, it effectively blocked the supplement pathway.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h4><strong>Why the Regulatory Sequence Matters<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The first major cannabinoid to reach the pharmaceutical market was CBD through Epidiolex. While that represented a landmark achievement for cannabis medicine, it also complicated CBD\u2019s future as a dietary supplement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Under FDA rules, once an ingredient has been approved as a prescription drug, it generally cannot also be marketed as a dietary supplement unless it was already sold as a supplement before clinical drug investigations began. This \u201cdrug preclusion\u201d provision effectively closed the door on CBD as a new dietary ingredient after Epidiolex was approved, despite growing public interest and research sparked by stories like Charlotte Figi\u2019s response to CBD for severe epilepsy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">And for this reason, FloraWorks began with the dietary supplement pathway rather than drug development.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Why Focus on One Cannabinoid Instead of the Entourage Effect?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">While much of the cannabis industry has embraced the entourage effect, Lindquist believes the next generation of cannabinoid science will focus less on combining cannabinoids and more on understanding what each one does individually.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">His view is that cannabinoids have distinct biological mechanisms and shouldn\u2019t be automatically grouped together. In fact, combining cannabinoids can sometimes diminish the desired effect. He pointed to research showing that 20 mg of isolated CBN improved sleep, but adding CBD reduced that benefit. Rather than enhancing one another, certain cannabinoids may override or interfere with specific biological activities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">FloraWorks chose to study one cannabinoid at a time rather than developing broad-spectrum formulations, focusing on understanding exactly what CBN does before combining it with other cannabinoids, with the goal of positioning CBN alongside melatonin on the shelf.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Beyond its potential role in sleep, Lindquist sees promising research suggesting CBN has unique neuroprotective properties related to oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Working with researchers at the Salk Institute, the company evaluated dozens of cannabinoid structures and found CBN consistently outperformed other cannabinoids in protecting neurons from a form of cell death associated with neurodegenerative disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Cannabinoids and Healthcare Cost Savings<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Lindquist also discussed cannabinoids in the context of healthcare costs, not just treatment outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He pointed to emerging federal programs, including CMS-led initiatives, that are exploring access to cannabinoids for older adults to improve health outcomes and reduce system-wide costs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What happens to healthcare spending if sleep improves, pain is better managed, or certain prescriptions are reduced?<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cIf we have a sleep aid and we\u2019re able to improve sleep for a cohort of people, how much downstream cost does that save?\u201d Lindquist said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He pointed to common risks associated with sedating medications like Ambien, including grogginess, falls, and related injury costs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The next step is building the data to support those questions.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThere just isn\u2019t enough data yet to make direct claims,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we know what an insomnia patient costs in Medicare, and we know what a non-insomnia patient costs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">FloraWorks continues to pursue pharmaceutical pathways, but the immediate priority is establishing CBN as a dietary supplement, where it can exist without prescription barriers.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cBecause drug preclusion only goes one way,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you go drug first, you can\u2019t go back. But if you start as a dietary supplement, you can move forward into drug development later.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\">\n<div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing\">\n<h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The cannabis industry has spent years waiting for this moment. As federal rescheduling moves forward, so do the opportunities to develop cannabinoid-based supplements and medicines backed by more rigorous scientific research. For some companies, this isn\u2019t a new direction. It\u2019s the payoff from years of work happening behind the scenes. Alleh Lindquist, CEO and co-founder [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1307,11131,9290,10789,7620,10851,7181,6431,9,10819,8518,1778,1,3,61,1736],"tags":[3877,11132,9295,10792,7622,10852,7182,6434,10820,8544,4346],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11158"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11158\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}