
The FDA has submitted a new policy to the white house that looks to deal with CBD regulation. The Cannabidiol Enforcement Policy Draft Guidance for Industry could mean concrete rules for the hemp industry if it is approved by the White House Office of Management and Budget.
The exact standards laid out in the new policy haven’t been released. Industry experts speculate that there will be parts addressing issues in industrial hemp like false health claims. Other ideas for what could be in store included looking at serving sizes, or product standards. The FDA may be deciding to force CBD companies to adhere to the much stricter dietary-supplement regulations that it has in place already. Companies would then need to follow all good manufacturing practices, for example.
Overall this new regulation is seen as a good thing for the industry, with many companies already begging for this same guidance since last year. Stricter rules will make it easier to weed out disreputable companies who are selling inferior products that give CBD a bad name.
It’s expected that the FDA will follow the general steps the agency goes through when releasing new rules. It will give notice of proposed rulemaking, publish the rules, listen to comments from industry, consider those comments, and then release the final rules.