Hemp has had quite an interesting legislative history in the U.S., and after decades of prohibition ended in 2018 that history has taken a heightened interest for those who rely on it.
In the past year, states one-by-one have moved to legalize and regulate hemp and CBD products for their own after the federal legalization came with the 2018 Farm Bill. Now legislators are holding hearings to evaluate whether the Food and Drug Administration has taken the correct approach to regulating CBD.
On Jan. 15, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health met to discuss cannabis, including marijuana legalization and CBD’s effectiveness and legality. [1]
According to Forbes, the hearing was called “Cannabis Policies for the New Decade” and legislators evaluated six different proposals to alter the government’s treatment of marijuana and CBD. [1]
According to The Motley Fool, this week also saw the introduction of HR 5587, which would amend the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to classify CBD oils and products as dietary supplements. [2]
Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said before his departure from office in 2019 that the agency’s process for vetting CBD would likely take months and even years. At that time, he suggested legislative remedies rather than FDA prerogatives.
In the time since those statements, the FDA has released warnings that some claims made by certain CBD companies are inaccurate and warned of possible harms from the substance.
Many in the industry have scoffed at the FDA’s warning, especially given the fact that high-quality CBD is entirely derived from hemp plants and the World Health Organization published a report in the summer of 2019 claiming that CBD use carried no known risks.
HR 5587 would surely be a way to set the record straight on CBD products.
The science and clear uses of CBD are still catching up with consumer’s excitement, but that is to be expected in a realm where it has been illegal to grow industrial hemp or manufacture and research CBD for decades.
Similar troubles plague marijuana science, since that plant remains a Schedule 1 prohibited substance despite widespread adoption and legalization by states.
Milwaukee affiliate Fox 6 Now reports that the Dr. Nora Volkow, who heads the National Institutes of Health’s Institute on Drug Abuse, said rescheduling cannabis including marijuana would likely improve the amount of research being performed on the substance.
[3]
Sources
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2020/01/18/cannabis-news-recap-jan-19/#18f4380f3d19
[2] https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/01/18/congress-and-the-fda-may-square-off-over-cbd.aspx
