PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) — An Oregon woman has a warning for anyone taking CBD products, especially if they’re looking for work.
CBD products are only supposed to have trace amounts of THC and not get someone high.
But could it cost someone a job? Suzan Chandler told FOX 12 her experience is yes.
“I learned that the hard way,” Chandler said.
Chandler, a nurse practitioner from Hillsboro, said she was up for a new job at a local urgent care. The final step was a urine drug test.
“Shocks of all shocks that it tested positive,” she said.
Chandler said she had been taking some hemp protein and CBD oil for its calming effects. She said she never touched marijuana, even though her test came back positive for THC.
“And so, my position was rescinded,” she said. “I never thought, I never used a product knowingly with THC, I wouldn’t.”
Renee Barnes is co-owner of the Portland store CBD-lish. She said it’s important for consumers to shop at places where they can get educated and read the labels.
“If they’re looking for a tincture then we normally talk to them about full spectrum versus broad spectrum,” Barnes said.
She said a label that reads full spectrum means it contains THC, although legally it can’t contain more than 0.3%.
Broad spectrum contains no THC, according to Barnes.
“I think I gave one of our customers and it was a broad spectrum, it wasn’t a full spectrum and he was a school bus driver and so we didn’t want him to start taking it and fail his drug test,” she said.
Barnes said taking a full spectrum definitely doesn’t mean you will fail a test. But without knowing how your body processes the product, she said it’s safer to stay away depending on your line of work.
“We’ve had firemen, we’ve had policemen, we’ve had people doing jobs that are very, you know, essential that they don’t, and you know we’ll talk to them about it,” Barnes said.
As for Chandler, she doesn’t blame the employer who took back their offer.
“We get drug screened for a reason and those are good reasons,” Chandler said. “They just have to treat all the employees that test positive the same.”
But Chandler said she does want to warn others.
“Our family all of a sudden doesn’t have my income. It’s a significant income change,” she said. “So, after all that wave, I decided that I wanted to make sure that other people could learn that and not have to go through what our family has.”
Chandler said she’s done lots of research and does know the difference between full and broad spectrum now.
She told FOX 12 she still believes in CBD and that it can help people, but she’s refraining all together and not going to chance any product.
