Testing for Integrity: CBD & Beyond

Despite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s position that hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) cannot be sold legally in food or dietary supplements because it was studied as an Investigational New Drug first, the genie is out of the bottle with consumers gravitating to cannabis (in all its forms).

The U.S. Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the Farm Bill) delisted hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, effectively legalizing cultivation of hemp as long as it contains no more than 0.3% delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on a dry weight basis. As a result, the market has been flooded with products containing CBD.

Now, industry stakeholders have been focused on ensuring products that are in commerce conform to the standards and guardrails that govern and steer the legal dietary supplements market. At the same time, with more consumers evaluating products and scrutinizing brands, the work of ensuring product integrity is essential.

Foundations for Integrity
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has been raising awareness within the hemp industry about the need to comply with regulations