Much has been written about recent localized enforcement of prohibitions on CBD products, including at the Nothing But Hemp blog. [1]
For those out of the loop, the newest developments are limited but worrying. New York City, Maine and Ohio have all begun limitations on what products businesses can sell to their happy customers, mostly restricting CBD from being used in food and drink products sold in those municipalities and states.
The development was concerning, as many in the hemp products industry, including cannabidiol manufacters, retailers and consumers, were enticed by hemp’s recent redefinition as an agriculture product in 2018.
Though the federal government has no prohibition on CBD, unease permeated regardless when the FDA failed to lay out clear guidelines for CBD or clarify that they wouldn’t meddle in its newly-legal sale.
There’s no evidence that the FDA or other federal groups had attachments to the local recent crackdowns, but according to reporting in the Boston Globe, lawmakers are making moves to expand protections for the non-psychoactive hemp product. [2]
According to the reporting in the Globe, a bipartisan group of legislators in the U.S. Congress sent a letter to the FDA on Friday to urge them not to tighten the grip on CBD sellers and consumers.
The legislators said in their letter to the FDA that the crackdowns “spurred a tremendous amount of confusion among product manufacturers, hemp farmers, and consumers of these products.”
The report said the alliance of bipartisan legislators was led by Representative Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, whose state enforced one of the bans on CBD products in food recently, calling on retailers to strip their inventories of the products or else have them seized.
Twelve lawmakers signed on to the letter urging the FDA for a fast response to establish clearer guidelines. Minnesota’s own Betty McCollum signed the letter, along with representatives Tulsi Gabbard, Earl Blumenauer, Ed Perlmutter, Don Young, Mark Pocan, and Peter Welch. [2]
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb released a statement in response to December’s Farm Bill that the administrative body would reserve the right to regulate or stop the sale of CBD products, but that there would be circumstances where sales would be allowed.
Industry leaders and legislators need more information than that to safely and assuredly run their businesses in the coming months, especially as police departments and municipalities in other states threaten moves against CBD consumption. [3]
If you enjoy CBD products for any of the numerous lifestyle benefits it brings, or simply believe that adults should be able to eat and drink the supplements they prefer and desire, speak up. Talk to your family, friends, city council or state and federal representatives about the benefits of CBD, and why its benefits should be protected in the marketplace.
Sources
[1] https://www.nothingbuthemp.net/blog/recent-cbd-crackdowns-show-errors-and-dangers-of-overreach
[2] https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/marijuana/2019/02/19/lawmakers-push-fda-allow-cbd-infused-food-products/8FaS9ptJgGTPPp93bPx4iM/story.html
[3] https://www.nothingbuthemp.net/blog/mixed-signals-from-florida-in-the-most-recent-cbd-enforcement-scare