How CBD Works - CORGANICS - CEO - Chad Collins

This video provides an in-depth exploration of clinical cannabinoid therapy, focusing on the company CORGANICS and its CEO, Chad Collins. The discussion centers on the burgeoning CBD market, the critical need for quality and transparency in a largely unregulated retail space, and CORGANICS' unique approach to bridging the gap between healthcare professionals and patients. Collins, drawing from his extensive background in the pharmaceutical industry, emphasizes the importance of clinical-grade products, rigorous testing, and physician education to ensure patient safety and therapeutic efficacy.

The conversation delves into the evolution of the CBD market, noting a significant public interest in CBD as a valid medical therapy, often ahead of healthcare professionals' understanding. Collins highlights the challenges posed by the "wild west" of retail CBD, where products often lack quality control, transparency, and may contain harmful contaminants or undeclared THC. CORGANICS addresses this by exclusively distributing through healthcare channels, ensuring their products are manufactured in FDA-registered facilities, adhere to cGMP standards, and are certified for sport (NSF Safe for Sport) to guarantee THC-free formulations. This stringent quality assurance is crucial for patients, especially those in professions with drug testing requirements like athletes, first responders, and pilots.

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the clinical validation of CORGANICS' products. Collins details IRB-approved studies conducted with over 500 patients through institutions like UCLA, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Washington. These studies specifically targeted common self-treatment reasons for CBD use: pain, sleep, and anxiety. The results demonstrated substantial improvements across these modalities, alongside a notable increase in overall well-being, with a benign side effect profile. This scientific backing differentiates CORGANICS from most retail CBD brands and provides healthcare professionals with the confidence to recommend their products, aligning with a "step therapy" approach where patients seek natural alternatives before resorting to traditional pharmaceuticals like opioids or anxiolytics.

The video also explores the scalability and integration of clinical CBD into broader healthcare ecosystems, particularly for employer groups and large medical organizations. Collins discusses how CORGANICS' model allows for access through health and wellness benefit plans, either via direct purchase from practices or through a vetted employer code on their website, enabling direct-to-patient shipping. This approach aims to address high drug utilization costs for employers (e.g., opioids, sedatives) and improve employee productivity by offering a safe, effective, and often less expensive alternative. The CEO also touches upon the future "education revolution" around the endocannabinoid system (ECS), predicting that pharmaceutical companies will eventually drive widespread awareness and acceptance of cannabinoid therapy.

Key Takeaways:

• Growing CBD Market & Patient Demand: A 2019 Gallup poll showed one in five American adults taking CBD, and three in five viewed it as valid medical therapy. This indicates a significant existing market and patient desire for cannabinoid-based solutions, often preceding physician recommendations.
• Quality and Safety Concerns in Retail CBD: The retail CBD market is largely unregulated, leading to issues with product quality, transparency, and potential contamination (heavy metals, pesticides) or mislabeling regarding THC content. A Leaf Report audit found 21% of tested products claiming no THC actually contained it.
• Importance of Clinical-Grade Products: CORGANICS, with its pharma-industry background, emphasizes manufacturing in FDA-registered and regulated facilities, adhering to cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices), and achieving NSF Safe for Sport certification to ensure product purity and absence of detectable THC.
• Exclusive Healthcare Distribution Model: CORGANICS distributes its products solely through healthcare professionals and organizations, not retail or Amazon. This model supports physician education, provides patient access to vetted products, and builds confidence in recommendations.
• Clinical Validation through IRB-Approved Studies: CORGANICS has invested in robust, independent, IRB-approved studies (e.g., with UCLA, Johns Hopkins, University of Washington) involving over 500 patients. These studies validate the efficacy of their products for pain, sleep, and anxiety.
• Demonstrated Efficacy: Studies showed significant improvements: 64% in pain, 53% in sleep, 63% in anxiety, and 66% in overall well-being over a month, with a benign side effect profile. This data provides concrete evidence for healthcare professionals and patients.
• Addressing Drug Testing Concerns: For professional athletes, first responders, pilots, and other individuals subject to drug testing, the guarantee of THC-free products (verified by third-party testing and certifications like NSF Safe for Sport) is paramount to avoid career jeopardization.
• Role of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS): Healthcare professionals are increasingly learning about the ECS and how cannabinoid therapy interacts with CB1 and CB2 receptor sites throughout the body to help achieve balance and address various disease states.
• Opportunity for Employer Health Plans: Clinical CBD offers a potential alternative to costly prescriptions (opioids, anxiolytics, sedatives) for employers, improving employee productivity and well-being. Employers can provide access through wellness benefit plans, with patients purchasing at a discount or with employer subsidy.
• Flexible Access for Patients: Patients can access CORGANICS products either directly through healthcare practices that stock inventory or via a vetted code on the CORGANICS website, allowing for direct-to-patient shipping, ensuring convenience while maintaining healthcare oversight.
• Caution Against Unsubstantiated Claims: The FDA prohibits making specific health claims for CBD products unless they are approved as prescription drugs. Consumers should be wary of retail brands making exaggerated or unproven claims.
• Benign Side Effect Profile: High-quality, THC-free cannabinoid therapy is generally considered benign, with no reported overdosing and minimal to no side effects like grogginess, especially when products are rigorously tested.

Key Concepts:

• Clinical Cannabinoid Therapy: The use of cannabinoids, including CBD and minor cannabinoids, for therapeutic purposes, emphasizing a scientific, evidence-based, and quality-controlled approach, often under the guidance of healthcare professionals.
• Endocannabinoid System (ECS): A complex cell-signaling system in the human body that plays a crucial role in regulating a wide range of functions and processes, including sleep, mood, appetite, memory, and pain sensation. It consists of endocannabinoids, receptors (CB1 and CB2), and enzymes.
• IRB-Approved Studies: Research studies that have been reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure ethical conduct, protection of human subjects, and scientific rigor. This signifies a high standard of clinical validation.
• cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices): A system for ensuring that products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards. It is designed to minimize the risks involved in any pharmaceutical production that cannot be eliminated through testing the final product.
• NSF Safe for Sport: A certification program that ensures products are free of banned substances, contaminants, and are accurately labeled. This is particularly important for athletes and others subject to drug testing.
• Detectable THC: Even trace amounts of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive compound in cannabis, that can be detected in drug tests, potentially leading to adverse consequences for individuals in certain professions.

Examples/Case Studies:

• Gallup Poll (2019): Highlighted that 1 in 5 American adults used CBD, and 3 in 5 considered it a valid medical therapy, demonstrating significant public interest.
• Leaf Report Audit: A third-party audit of ~3,000 retail CBD products found that 21% of products claiming to be THC-free actually contained detectable THC, underscoring the lack of quality control in the retail market.
• Largest Oncology Group Partnership: CORGANICS is partnering with the largest oncology group in the U.S. to provide their exclusive clinical CBD, indicating a growing acceptance and demand for high-quality cannabinoid therapy within specialized medical fields.
• UCLA, Johns Hopkins, University of Washington Studies: CORGANICS conducted IRB-approved studies with over 500 patients at these institutions, demonstrating 64% improvement in pain, 53% in sleep, 63% in anxiety, and 66% in overall well-being.