It’s a big day in the
world of cannabis. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is holding its first public hearing on how it should regulate CBD
Friday. This could be a gamechanger—for the best or the worse—for cannabis’
non-psychoactive compound.
This hearing will be
the first step in many in how the administration moves forward in regulating
the compound at the federal level. This is for food (like that CBD-infused
latter) or creams (like your favorite CBD muscle cream). The goal of this
hearing is for the FDA to learn more about “the safety, manufacturing, product
quality, marketing, labeling, and sale of products” containing CBD, as the administration wrote in its announcement.
Held at the FDA’s
headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, the hearing will allow members of the
public to come forward and offer their thoughts and expertise on the topic.
However, not just anyone can talk. Those testifying signed up earlier this
month. The public can submit comments online and at subsequent hearings, too,
through July 2.
The day’s agenda
is packed with a roster of academics, health professionals, retailers,
government voices, and non-government experts. This includes those in the hemp
business, as well as a representative of the Marijuana Victims Alliance, an anti-cannabis
organization that defends those who have been negatively impacted by the plant.
So the public will get to hear from a variety of voices; in fact, some 140 people are expected to testify, according to CNBC. It’ll be a long day, that’s for sure.
More and more research has been highlighting the health
benefits of the compound, so it’s about time the FDA began figuring out how to
regulate it. Right now, it’s regulated quite irregularly, especially for food.
Technically, CBD-infused foods are still illegal, reports the Washington Post. However, states
that have legalized cannabis for recreational or medicinal purposes have their
own regulations. Colorado is down with CBD-infused food, but New York,
California, and Maine are not. They want to see what the federal administration
decides.
Then, there’s the use
of CBD as, well, medicine. The FDA has “issued warning letters to companies
illegally selling CBD products that were intended to prevent, diagnose,
mitigate, treat, or cure serious diseases, such as cancer, and that had not
obtained new drug approvals,” according to the federal register. So the FDA
ain’t playing games, but it’s also recognized that it needs to issue some sort
of regulation because the compound does offer some health benefits.
Still, it’s important
that the administration complete a formal review of safety and health concerns
to know what people or animals need to stay away from it. It also needs to
gather information on how exactly it’s manufactured to ensure that’s happening
in a way fit for human consumption. Look, drugs are nothing to handle lightly.
But neither is money:
CBD may explode into a $22 billion industry by 2022, according to market analyst group Brightfield Group.
That’s why it needs some regulation because CBD can’t just stay illegal—not
when that much money is on the line.
This hearing holds
the potential to bust those doors wide open. That, or keep them sealed shut.
Stay tuned.