2019 has been dominated by CBD. In the wake of the federal Farm Bill of 2018, which removed a broad range of hemp products including hemp-derived CBD from the list of federally banned substances, the popularity of CBD products has exploded.
Today, it’s easy to find CBD products being sold everywhere from head shops, to CBD specific retailers, to coffee shops, cafes, and convenience stores.
Interestingly, all this activity has happened without any significant approval from the FDA. But today, the FDA released a couple of new memos clarifying the agency’s official stance on CBD and CBD products.
Most notably, the agency warned 15 companies that they are illegally selling products containing CBD.
FDA Warns CBD Companies
The 15 companies to receive warnings from the FDA include:
- Red Pill Medical Inc., located in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Pink Collections, Inc., located in Beverly Hills, California.
- Healthy Hemp Strategies LLC, located in Concord, California.
- Koi CBD LLC, located in Norwalk, California.
- Sabai Ventures Ltd., located in Los Angeles, California.
- Organix Industries Inc., located in San Bernardino, California.
- Whole Leaf Organics LLC, located in Sherman Oaks, California.
- Infinite Product Company LLLP, located in Lakewood, Colorado.
- Sunflora Inc., located in Tampa, Florida, and Your CBD Store, in Bradenton, Florida.
- Daddy Burt LLC, located in Lexington, Kentucky.
- Bella Rose Labs, located in Brooklyn, New York.
- Private I Salon LLC, located in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- Natural Native LLC, located in Norman, Oklahoma.
- Apex Hemp Oil LLC, located in Redmond, Oregon.
- Noli Oil, located in Southlake, Texas.
The warning stated that each of these companies is currently producing or selling CBD products that violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Specifically, this act stipulates that companies cannot sell food products or market products as dietary supplements unless they first receive approval from the FDA.
As of yet, the FDA has only approved one CBD product. That product is Epidiolex, a prescription drug designed to treat childhood epilepsy and that contains CBD.
According to the FDA’s warning, any food or drink product containing CBD has not been approved for commercial sale. The same is true of any product marketing CBD as a dietary supplement.
“The FDA has requested responses from the companies within 15 working days stating how the companies will correct the violations,” the FDA explained in a statement. “Failure to correct the violations promptly may result in legal action, including product seizure and/or injunction.”
FDA Also Warns Consumers About CBD
Alongside its warnings to companies making and selling CBD products, the FDA also published a consumer-facing memo titled “What You Need to Know (And What We’re Working to Find Out) About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-derived Compounds, Including CBD”.
In it, the agency states that it has not approved CBD dietary supplements or food and drink products containing CBD.
The FDA’s consumer memo highlights three main claims:
- “CBD has the potential to harm you,” the memo states. It continues: “harm can happen even before you become aware of it.”
- The memo also claims that “CBD can cause side effects that you might notice” including drowsiness, gastrointestinal distress, and changes in mood.
- Finally, the FDA states that CBD has not been researched enough to reach any clear conclusions about its safety or efficacy.
