Tamar Wise, the former head of science for Dixie Botanicals, has called out the entire cannabidiol products industry as well as her former employer.
In a post on her Facebook page, Wise said CBD-based products are made from “crude and dirty hemp paste” that is contaminated with microbial life, residual solvents and other toxins. The post is no longer on her page.
“I’m tired of so called CBD companies claiming that what they provide is medicine. Anyone using a CBD from hemp product please be aware of what you’re actually getting b/c it is not what you think,” Wise wrote on her Facebook page. The message was quickly copied and re-posted on several other social media pages of those with an interest in the marijuana industry.
“What these companies are doing is criminal and dangerous…and since I formulated most of these products as head of Dixie science, I feel responsible for spreading the truth.”
In an email, Wise confirmed she wrote the post but declined further comment.
Dixie Elixirs reacted to Wise’s comments with a Facebook post of its own, saying it makes “safe, lab-tested, effective CBD health and wellness products.”
“We are saddened that Ms. Wise has opted to now make slanderous allegations against Dixie Botanicals so long after her departure when none of these concerns ever came up during her term at Dixie,” the post said. “The company abides by strict confidentiality agreements designed to protect the privacy of the company, our employees and our customers. As a result we will not comment on this further and hope Ms. Wise honors these same agreements.”
The comments represent a 180 for Wise, who had previously spoken positively about CBD-based products publicly, and wrote a column for Marijuana Business Daily in 2012 discussing the science behind Dixie’s CBD extraction process.