Newton-Conover City Schools, a district about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte, is considering adopting a policy that would explicitly ban students from having CBD on school property.
CBD has been covered under a policy that prohibits drugs, but Newton-Conover officials want to avoid confusion. So, they want the school board to specifically ban the chemical that’s found in cannabis and hemp, said district Executive Director of Operations Sylvia White.
"We all ride down the street now and we see 'CBD sold here' so you hear more communication about it," White said. "We’ve not specifically had people come to school and ask. But if they do, it’s clarified so it’s not a question now."
The North Carolina School Boards Association has recommended that all districts specifically ban CBD in their anti-drug policies.
Advocates say CBD, which is non-intoxicating, helps alleviate conditions such as anxiety, chronic pain and insomnia, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only approved it to treat two severe forms of epilepsy.
The Newton-Conover school board is scheduled to vote on the CBD ban Dec. 9.
