Garnering widespread support from multiple industries and across political lines, a bill that would legalize and regulate cannabidiol (CBD) and other hemp derivatives in dietary supplements has been introduced to Congress.
The Hemp and Hemp-Derived CBD Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act of 2020 (H.R. 8179), which was introduced Sept. 4, would ensure CBD and other non-intoxicating hemp derivatives could be lawfully marketed as dietary supplements. It would also require manufacturers to comply with existing regulations for dietary supplements, which include safety procedures, labeling requirements and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
U.S. Reps Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) and Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) sponsored the bill, which has garnered endorsements from more than a dozen industry organizations and nearly 50 companies, according to a white paper from U.S. Hemp Roundtable.
In a letter to Schrader and Griffith, more than a dozen industry organizations—from Vote Hemp and Hemp Industries Association to Council for Responsible Nutrition and American Herbal Products Association—express their support for the bill and explain how it could advance the industry: “In passing the 2018 Farm Bill, Congress made clear its intent to support the production and sale of hemp and hemp derivatives such as CBD. Thousands of American farmers planted hemp in response, with CBD and extract varieties of hemp representing the overwhelming majority of all hemp acreage sown thus far in the U.S. However, public announcements by [the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)] stating that it is illegal to sell ingestible hemp-derived CBD products have hindered commercial progress for these farmers.”
Brandon Beatty, board director of U.S. Hemp Roundtable and CEO of CBD company Bluebird Botanicals, tells Hemp Grower “it’s incredibly exciting” to see a bill regulating CBD come to fruition.
“This will do wonders for the hemp and CBD industry across most businesses,” Beatty says. In addition to opening up, regulating and providing stability in the dietary supplement industry for CBD manufacturers, Beatty says the bill could “help weed out shady companies who have been flouting the FDA's rules by clearly mandating companies to follow all rules pertaining to dietary supplements, such as GMP protocol, FDA facility registration and adverse event reporting.”
CBD is, from the FDA’s perspective, currently illegal in all products except Epidiolex, which is a drug used to treat epilepsy.
Beatty says the recent bill only focuses on a portion of products CBD could be added into, but it’s a step in the right direction.
“The bill is missing guidance for the use of CBD in conventional food and beverage, which is unfortunate. But, I also think there's wisdom in getting a soldier to shore, so to speak, with the dietary supplement protocols,” Beatty says. “With this potential, we could live to fight another day for food and beverage.”
H.R. 8179 Letter of Support by Tess Bennett on Scribd
