Another hemp group implores FDA to regulate CBD, with acceptable guidelines, for consumer safety

Hemp advocates have been sending their own recommendations to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to try to direct the agency’s enforcement discretion policy for CBD products.

The latest hemp group weighing in is the National Industrial Hemp Council, which filed comments with the agency this week emphasizing the importance of establishing basic safety standards to protect consumers.

The Washington, DC-based NIHC, an advocacy and lobbying group, said it also met with the White House Office of Management and Budget regarding the FDA’s CBD Enforcement Policy draft guidance that the agency submitted last month.

NIHC argued that existing studies support safe human consumption of CBD in dosing appropriate for dietary supplements and conventional foods.

The group asked FDA to:

• Allow marketing and sale of CBD cosmetics while investigating the systemic impact of CBD consumption on humans.
• Provide clarity for standardized testing requirements and laboratory practices.
• Standardize national manufacturing and labeling requirements.
• Define key standardized terms for varying types of hemp extract, to promote uniform product labeling, marketing and transparency.

“NIHC members support safety standards for our industry. We are well aware of the reports of inconsistent products that do not contain the ingredients listed on the label, those that feature unsubstantiated health claims, or which contain excessive THC levels or other contaminants,” NIHC board chairman Patrick Atagi wrote in a letter to the FDA’s CBD working group.

“Our mission is to help advance the hemp industry through safe, reliably manufactured products that consumers can rely on and we’re glad to partner with FDA to bring this to fruition.”

Read NIHC’s full comments to the FDA here.