Former DEA chief joins new CBD advisory panel

A former head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is joining the latest advisory panel tackling CBD regulations.

Karen Tandy, who led the DEA from 2003 to 2007 and was the first female DEA chief, is among a panel of former government officials looking at the CBD industry for the Consumer Brands Association, which represents consumer packaged goods companies. The group formerly was known as the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

The group’s CBD panel aims to make recommendations and “provide thought leadership and strategic oversight for the industry,” Consumer Brands Association CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement announcing the panel.

Tandy, an appointee of former President George W. Bush who now runs a consulting business in Washington DC, said in a statement that regulators need more funding to oversee CBD products.

“Federal regulators and law enforcement need the necessary resources to ensure any CBD that enters the marketplace is safe, regulated and not entering through the hands of bad actors,” she said.

The advisory board has not announced any timeline for its work, or how it will accomplish its goals.

Other members announced Wednesday include:

• Mike Cornett, former mayor of Oklahoma City.
• Edward Davis, former commissioner, Boston Police Department.
• Michael Taylor, former deputy commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration.