FOLLOWING last November’s CBD broadside signs of a more conciliatory tone have emerged from US regulators in recent weeks.
Last November, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an interim warning on the potential harmful effects of CBD.
It said it was seeking answers to questions about the science, safety, and quality of products containing CBD, saying: “The FDA is concerned that people may mistakenly believe that trying CBD can’t hurt.
“The agency wants to be clear that we have seen only limited data about CBD’s safety and these data point to real risks that need to be considered.”
However, in early March FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, acknowledged the US CBD industry is here to stay.
He said: “We’re not going to be able to say you can’t use these products. It’s a fools errand to even approach that.
“We have to be open to the fact that there might be some value to these products and certainly Americans think that’s the case. But we want to get them information to make the right decisions.”
In a press statement released around the same time the FDA’s moderated tone became apparent when said it was seeking to ‘educate consumers about the number of questions that remain regarding CBD’s safety’.
While re-iterating it concerns over potential liver damage, male reproductive toxicity, sustained use, drug interactions and its effect on ‘vulnerable groups’ it went on to say that it ‘doesn’t know if CBD is unsafe to these populations’.
Its said it wants to see further research into CBD usage including the sedative effects of CBD; the impacts of long-term sustained or cumulative exposure to CBD; different administration methods and the safety of CBD for use in pets and food-producing animals.
It is also interested in learning more about full and broad spectrum hemp extracts and CBD isolates, it says.
It concluded: “We recognize the significant public interest in CBD and we must work together with stakeholders and industry to develop high-quality data to close the substantial knowledge gaps about the science, safety and quality of many of these products.”
While this latest update offers no sign of a speedy resolution to the US CBD regulatory quagmire it does appear that the FDA is taking its foot of its anti-CBD accelerator.
However, for those businesses making illegal medical claims and selling product contaminants such as heavy metals, THC or other potentially harmful substances, it went on to say there will be no let up on the enforcement front.
