09.08.20
While multiple trade associations recently came out in support of a bipartisan Congressional bill sponsored by Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA) which would direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to establish a regulatory pathway to market for hemp and hemp-derived Cannabidiol (CBD) to be marketed as a dietary supplement ingredient, the Natural Products Association (NPA) announced that it rejects the legislation due to its perceived shortcomings.
Specifically, the organization believes that the bill would be inadequate if it doesn’t direct the FDA to establish a safe level of daily consumption for CBD. Without such a recommendation, NPA believes that the benefits don’t outweigh the risks to public trust in dietary supplement products as a whole.
“We support a science-based pathway to allowing CBD in food products, but this is not the right approach and will do more to undermine public trust in the safety of dietary supplements without promoting public health,” Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO of NPA, said. “The Food and Drug Administration already has the authority to regulate CBD products by setting a safe level of daily consumption. Setting a safe level of daily consumption is a better pathway and will do much more than introducing legislation to appease special interests.”
With the exception of a prescription drug called Epidiolex, all CBD products in the U.S. are considered illegal by the federal government.
NPA has been involved in advocacy efforts directed toward the FDA, asking that they regulate CBD, since 2017. The organization has testified on a number of occasions, and has held several meetings with top FDA officials on the issue.
Additionally, NPA was involved in the drafting of a legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that provides resources so that the FDA can perform a Health Hazard Evaluation and set a safe level of CBD for consumers to use each day. The process would follow the same precedent as red yeast rice, which allows a natural product to contain a level of a drug ingredient that the FDA has determined to be safe.
Specifically, the organization believes that the bill would be inadequate if it doesn’t direct the FDA to establish a safe level of daily consumption for CBD. Without such a recommendation, NPA believes that the benefits don’t outweigh the risks to public trust in dietary supplement products as a whole.
“We support a science-based pathway to allowing CBD in food products, but this is not the right approach and will do more to undermine public trust in the safety of dietary supplements without promoting public health,” Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO of NPA, said. “The Food and Drug Administration already has the authority to regulate CBD products by setting a safe level of daily consumption. Setting a safe level of daily consumption is a better pathway and will do much more than introducing legislation to appease special interests.”
With the exception of a prescription drug called Epidiolex, all CBD products in the U.S. are considered illegal by the federal government.
NPA has been involved in advocacy efforts directed toward the FDA, asking that they regulate CBD, since 2017. The organization has testified on a number of occasions, and has held several meetings with top FDA officials on the issue.
Additionally, NPA was involved in the drafting of a legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that provides resources so that the FDA can perform a Health Hazard Evaluation and set a safe level of CBD for consumers to use each day. The process would follow the same precedent as red yeast rice, which allows a natural product to contain a level of a drug ingredient that the FDA has determined to be safe.
