Until this article, I wasn't aware that U.S. CBD products were still exempt from the dietary supplement loophole in FDA regulation. Low-THC hemp was legalized in the 2018 Farm Bill, effective...
Until this article, I wasn't aware that U.S. CBD products were still exempt from the dietary supplement loophole in FDA regulation. Low-THC hemp was legalized in the 2018 Farm Bill, effective June, 2019, but hemp has been in use as the base for CBD-containing extracts since at least 2012.
CBD supplement producers have been trying to comply with the general requirement that they make no claims to treat a specific condition, and at least follow minimum labeling standards for cosmetics.
But cannabidiol is also under investigation as a licensed drug, and thus excluded from the "GRAS" (Generally Regarded As Safe) status governing food supplements.
I've got a vested interest in seeing that low-THC cannabis extracts remain available to consumers, without pharma and U.S. healthcare gatekeeper costs. At the same time, it would help if they were subject to basic regulation for safety and purity, as the vape crisis demonstrated.
Though hemp/CBD products started the cannabis gold rush that's propelled marijuana legalization in many parts of the U.S., it's unfortunate that the producers (and consumers) now have to bear the costs of litigation.
There are the usual risks associated with letting industry drive its own regulation. Though cannabis has a long history of safe use and minimal addiction risk, other traditional medicinal plants, like poppy and coca, became far more dangerous when their active compounds were refined and concentrated. Not everything needs to have CBD added to it.
Until this article, I wasn't aware that U.S. CBD products were still exempt from the dietary supplement loophole in FDA regulation. Low-THC hemp was legalized in the 2018 Farm Bill, effective June, 2019, but hemp has been in use as the base for CBD-containing extracts since at least 2012.
CBD supplement producers have been trying to comply with the general requirement that they make no claims to treat a specific condition, and at least follow minimum labeling standards for cosmetics.
But cannabidiol is also under investigation as a licensed drug, and thus excluded from the "GRAS" (Generally Regarded As Safe) status governing food supplements.
I've got a vested interest in seeing that low-THC cannabis extracts remain available to consumers, without pharma and U.S. healthcare gatekeeper costs. At the same time, it would help if they were subject to basic regulation for safety and purity, as the vape crisis demonstrated.
Though hemp/CBD products started the cannabis gold rush that's propelled marijuana legalization in many parts of the U.S., it's unfortunate that the producers (and consumers) now have to bear the costs of litigation.
There are the usual risks associated with letting industry drive its own regulation. Though cannabis has a long history of safe use and minimal addiction risk, other traditional medicinal plants, like poppy and coca, became far more dangerous when their active compounds were refined and concentrated. Not everything needs to have CBD added to it.