Another group of senators is calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expediently implement regulations for CBD in order to protect consumers and free up the industry.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said he is urging FDA to issue guidance so that CBD products can be lawfully marketed. He and five of his colleagues also sent a letter to FDA expressing their desire to speed up the rulemaking process.
While delivering his remarks, the senator showcased CBD-infused seltzer water, gummies and tinctures as examples of products that can be beneficial to consumers.
Because there’s a lack of regulations for hemp-derived CBD, which was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, the market is filled with a mix of good and bad actors, the senator said. Ensuring that companies have quality control standards and preventing them from making unsanctioned claims about the therapeutic benefits of their products must therefore be a priority.
“What we need to do is stop the bad actors, rid the market of unsubstantiated and inaccurate health claims, make sure the good guys have a leveled playing field where truth and accuracy are valued and rewarded by consumers and by the regulatory framework,” he said.
“Hemp growers, manufacturers, food producers and most important, consumers, all deserve a regulatory framework that will set rules for classification, labeling, marketing, quality and other important features so that we stop the Wild West claims and make available products that are truly helpful and beneficial to consumers,” he added. “The treatment of pain, anxiety, inflammation, other kinds of maladies may be aided by CBD and consumers deserve the benefits of those treatments but they also deserve to know the truth about the oils, lotions, gummies and other products that are out there.”
It’s an issue that has bipartisan support, Blumenthal said, stating that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been a champion of the hemp industry.
Signing the letter to FDA with Blumenthal were Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jon Tester (D-MT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
“It is now imperative that the FDA finalize and implement a comprehensive regulat