New Bill Urges FDA to Regulate CBD

House representatives Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Angie Craig (D-MN), and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) have recently proposed a bill that would force the FDA to officially regulate CBD under the food and beverage ingredient category.

As reported by the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a key objective of the CBD Product Safety and Standardization act is to establish a regulatory framework for shipping food and beverages containing CBD across state lines, which would provide a major boon to online retailers currently navigating murky waters.

Though “industrial hemp” containing less than 0.3% THC by dry weight was made federally legal by the 2018 Farm Bill, the large divide between this precedent and full FDA regulation has caused mass confusion regarding CBD’s legality as brands and consumers continue to grow the market.

The bill’s intentional congruence with HR 841, a bill introduced in the house this year that “allows the use of hemp, cannabidiol derived from hemp or any other ingredient derived from hemp in a dietary supplement” would encourage a much more stable hemp industry that protects both consumers and brands.

In addition, the CBD Product Safety and Standardization act would provide all the other assurances of an FDA-regulated product, including much clearer dosage and safety guidelines.

The Consumer Brands Association and U.S. Hemp Roundtable both voiced their support of the bipartisan bill in representative Rice’s press announcement, hailing it as a well-timed boost to the current state of CBD product safety standards.