CBD hearing reinforces the need for the FDA to move quickly
According to The Washington Post, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched the agency’s first hearing on cannabidiol (CBD) products on May 31 with a laundry of list of questions on the ingredient, which can be derived from marijuana or hemp.
According to The Washington Post, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched the agency’s first hearing on cannabidiol (CBD) products on May 31 with a laundry of list of questions on the ingredient, which can be derived from marijuana or hemp. How much of the cannabis extract is safe to consume daily? How will it interact with other drugs? What if a consumer is pregnant? What is CBD’s effect on children? What happens if someone takes it over the course of years?
Acting Commissioner Norman “Ned” Sharpless said answers to most of those questions are still unknown despite the popularity of many CBD products. “There are important reasons to generally prohibit putting drugs in the food supply,” Sharpless said. And cannabis extracts like CBD “are no exception.”
During the 10 hours of testimony that followed, hemp growers, startup businesses, academic researchers, and consumer advocates argued about how FDA should regulate the CBD industry. Some demanded strict oversight, while others lobbied for looser regulation. The common theme: the FDA needs to figure it out sooner rather than later.
How the FDA will choose to regulate the industry and how long it will need to figure that out remain unclear. Those prospective regulations have become a fierce battleground: More than 400 people and groups applied for a chance to speak at Friday’s hearing, with roughly 120 speaking slots parsed out.
In December 2018, the U.S. Congress legalized hemp as part of the Farm Bill, clearing the way for industrial production of the nonintoxicating compound from that plant. However, the agency quickly made it clear to companies that while hemp was legal, CBD extract remained under government regulation. In recent months, the agency has sent warning letters to some companies that it said were “illegally selling CBD products that claimed to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure serious diseases, such as cancer.”
In addition to the May 31 hearing, the FDA has set a deadline of July 2 for written comments on the issue. It also convened a working group led by Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy to explore ways CBD products might be sold legally, the impact of such products on public health, and whether new FDA rules or congressional legislation may be needed.