The FDA heard from 140 experts today, ranging from farmers and researchers to the industry’s most significant public CBD companies. Given the broad participation, it’s clear many different groups are seeking clarity from the FDA.
A clear policy will allow grocery stores and other national Food, Drug and Mass (FDM) retailers to participate in the rapid expansion of the CBD industry underway following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. In turn, consumers will benefit from much greater access to safe, high quality hemp-derived CBD products.
The 2018 Farm Bill was signed into law on December 20th. For that reason, the CBD industry has been holding its breath for clarity from the FDA. The central question is whether, and how much, CBD can be included in food and beverages in the U.S. Considering that many products violating FDA regulations are currently on the market, now is the right time to answer that question.
USDA and FDA have been tasked with developing regulations that separate an Agricultural Commodity from a Controlled Substance. Responsible industry strongly encourages that FDA and USDA closely collaborate to ensure that similar regulations are synchronized to efficiently differentiate the hemp and marijuana supply chains.
Today’s hearing was an important first step toward clear and predictable FDA regulations for CBD products.
Dr. Duffy MacKay is the Senior Vice President, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for CV Sciences. CV Sciences operates two distinct divisions. The consumer division delivers hemp products through its PlusCBD Oil brand. The pharmaceutical division is pursuing an FDA approved the drug.