Booming cannabis market puts pressure on FDA

The market for cannabis-based products is booming, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is struggling to keep up.

Congress legalized the use of hemp-based cannabidiol (CBD) products late last year in the farm bill, sending the agency scrambling to figure out new rules around regulating a unique product that is both a drug and a dietary supplement.

The agency is facing bipartisan pressure from lawmakers to quickly come up with a solution. In the meantime, the CBD industry is operating in a grey area and facing uncertainty about what the next steps will be.

Hemp farmers, distributors and manufacturers saw the farm bill as a major opportunity for the future of CBD. But the FDA’s attempts to assert its authority have instead led to confusion.