FDA Preparing to Regulate CBD
The “Wild West” of the CBD industry is about to get a little less wild — and you have a chance to make sure the Sheriff keeps Hemp Extract available.
With the federal legalization of industrial hemp, and CBD turning up everywhere, along with many states’ decriminalization of medical & recreational cannabis, the Food and Drug Administration is facing a monumental task – protecting the public health while also creating effective regulatory pathways for safe products to come to market.
The Future of Hemp...and Cannabis
This is a big deal in a number of ways. The federal government has never had to regulate a plant with such wide-ranging pharmaceutical & wellness applications before. There’s almost no precedent. And the FDA’s decisions will have substantial effects on cannabinoid regulation in general.
Fortunately, members of the general public can – and should – have a say in how all this goes down, and the FDA wants to hear from you! They’ve invited comments on this issue, and you have until July 2nd to share your thoughts & experiences with regulators. If CBD has helped you this is a unique opportunity to make a difference by helping to shape public policy.
Regulation? Or Prohibition?
Much of the concern stems from the “unregulated” nature of the market. Just like supplements and food, the FDA does not inspect every single product or piece of packaging. Instead they have established standards that every company is supposed to follow — and bad companies can always be fined or even sued if they’re caught breaking the rules. This approach gives businesses and their employees the flexibility to make good products without burdensome red tape.
But the FDA has made statements suggesting that they could completely end the CBD supplement industry — because “Hemp Extract” was not a supplement ingredient before 1994, when current supplement rules were established.
No More Hemp Extract?
Removing CBD-rich Hemp Extract from the retail supplement market would be devastating for people currently enjoying the benefits of daily CBD supplementation.
As our friends at Project CBD said when they spoke at the FDA hearing:
Calls to “regulate” CBD might just regulate it out of existence — except for people whose insurance can pay the $60k/year cost of FDA-approved pharmaceuticals like Epidiolex.
Scaring People: Is CBD Safe?
Interestingly, the FDA pointed to examples from the clinical trials of Epidolex to justify removing CBD from the general public.
In that study, young children were taking the adult equivalent of 1000-1500mg of CBD isolate (not broad-spectrum CBD) per day while also consuming pharmaceutical medications, and many showed signs of liver stress.
(The recent Universtiy of Arkansas study that showed liver damage in mice was even more skewed, giving the animals ten or even 100 times more than the usual Epidiolex dose.)
Meanwhile, most products with hemp extract only deliver a healthy dose of 20-60mg, and responsible CBD brands alert their customers to discuss CBD with their doctor if they’re also taking pharmaceutical drugs.
What Responsible CBD Looks Like
We believe that the industry should be allowed to continue offering hemp extract while playing by the same rules as any other responsible supplement company: accurate labeling & advertising, traceable sourcing, and thorough laboratory testing to ensure a clean, reliable product.
There are several companies and brands who ARE following these sensible requirements, and we believe the FDA should not steal this healthy supplement from US & world citizens.
We like the recommendations made by the medical experts at Project CBD:
Responsible citizenship entails more than just voting and making smart consumption choices. With so much at stake, make sure your voice is heard.
How to Take Action
Please take a moment to customize this form letter with your own experience and dosage:
Then visit this page on the FDA site to send it before comments close July 2nd.
Make your voice heard just in time for Independence Day!
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