美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Gold Rush': Cannabidiol Industry Booms Amid Uncertain Regulation

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

CBD has become a booming business. You can get CBD added to your coffee, buy lotions¹ or lip balm that contains it. The CBD that you're currently seeing in the store is derived² from the hemp³ plant and doesn't have the same effects as marijuana. This week, the FDA, though, is looking into whether the industry should be regulated. Liam Niemeyer of member station WKMS reports.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SECOND ACT")

LEAH REMINI: (As Joan) They gave you an apartment? Credit cards?

LIAM NIEMEYER, BYLINE⁴: Shea Castleberry works in a time capsule of sorts.

SHEA CASTLEBERRY: Really cool section. Prequels and sequels.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRICE SCANNER BEEPING)

NIEMEYER: DVD copies of movies, old and new, line the walls of the Family Video store he manages in the college town of Murray, Ky. While other video rental⁵ stores went bankrupt, hundreds of family video stores are still around. But movie rentals⁶ and popcorn⁷ aren't the only thing for sale.

CASTLEBERRY: And a lot of people are like, a video store selling CBD? But it really does tie in to our values, which is, you know, we're here for the community.

NIEMEYER: Castleberry says the CEO of the company found pain relief from CBD and ever since then Family Video stores have carried CBD-infused oil, gummies and lip balm, and water. He says the products not only diversify⁸ his store but could give his customers access to something he believes has health benefits. CBD retailers⁹ like Family Video are just a small fraction of this CBD investment. New Frontier Data is a Denver-based analytics firm that studies the cannabis industry. It estimates sales of CBD products could triple to more than $1.2 billion by 2022. New companies that extract and process the CBD are also betting big on this industry.

Wow. The smell is even stronger in here.

NATHANIEL PAPE: Yeah. It's present, at least. But it smells good to me, actually (laughter).

NIEMEYER: Nathaniel Pape is chief operating officer of AeroSourceH. He takes me on a tour of his warehouse¹⁰ that kind of smells like pot. The bleach-white laboratory in Kevil, Ky., has $3 million worth of whirring machines and freezers that are turning pungent¹¹ hemp into purified CBD.

PAPE: It looks just, like, basically a fine, white powder, almost like a flour.

NIEMEYER: A kilogram of this stuff sells for around $6,000. But Pape says the profit is secondary to the help a CBD could provide to users.

PAPE: It is a gold rush, and that's fantastic and it's super exciting, but it's also a little scary because as, you know, in gold rushes, a lot of the people lose.

NIEMEYER: Some of that fear comes from the uncertainty¹² over how the Food and Drug Administration will regulate CBD. The agency currently banned CBD in food products. But that hasn't stopped some businesses from adding it to everything, from lattes to burgers. The FDA will decide whether CBD should be regulated as a dietary supplement that can be added to food products or only accessible by prescription¹³. Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner¹⁴ Ryan Quarles says he wants CBD in food products because of the boost it could give to hemp farmers.

RYAN QUARLES: We acknowledge the FDA has a wide range of what they can do with these potential products, but we ask them to not regulate this growing industry to death.

NIEMEYER: Quarles says he's not sure if hemp can completely replace the state's fading tobacco industry, but he welcomes the almost $18 million Kentucky hemp farmers made last year. For NPR News, I'm Liam Niemeyer in Murray, Ky.

1 lotions   

n.洗液，洗剂，护肤液( lotion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do not use lotions or oils to lubricate the skin. 不要用润肤剂或油类来润滑皮肤。 来自辞典例句
• They were experts at preserving the bodies of the dead by embalming them with special lotions. 他们具有采用特种药物洗剂防止尸体腐烂的专门知识。 来自辞典例句

2 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 hemp   

n.大麻；纤维

参考例句：

• The early Chinese built suspension bridges of hemp rope.古代的中国人建造过麻绳悬索桥。
• The blanket was woven from hemp and embroidered with wool.毯子是由亚麻编织，羊毛镶边的。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

6 rentals   

n.租费，租金额( rental的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In some large hotels, the income derived from this source actually exceeds income from room rentals. 有些大旅馆中，这方面的盈利实际上要超过出租客房的盈利。 来自辞典例句
• Clerk: Well, Canadian Gifts is on the lower level. It's across from Prime Time Video Rentals. 噢，礼品店在楼下，在黄金时刻录像出租屋的对面。 来自口语例句

7 popcorn   

n.爆米花

参考例句：

• I like to eat popcorn when I am watching TV play at home.当我在家观看电视剧时，喜欢吃爆米花。
• He still stood behind his cash register stuffing his mouth with popcorn.他仍站在收银机后，嘴里塞满了爆米花。

8 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

9 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

10 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

11 pungent   

adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的

参考例句：

• The article is written in a pungent style.文章写得泼辣。
• Its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hideouts.它的刺激性气味会令恐怖分子窒息，迫使他们从藏身地点逃脱出来。

12 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

13 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

14 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。