The Food & Drug Administration issued notice letters to 15 Companies, “unlawfully selling CBD-containing products” warning that it will take legal action against them.
News of the announcement hit the headlines stirring heated discussions and speculations among manufacturers, retailers, consumers, and market analysts. But some critics feel the move was just an internal wake-up call for the Agency.
Why? Because despite maintaining its position time after time that CBD is illegal for supplements and food items, the FDA has only nabbed and punished half-a-dozen brands purporting their products can cure diseases.
The FDA is more likely to Crackdown on Lawbreakers
Sending more letters than it has in 3 years is a warning sign the Food & Drug Administration is more likely to take legal action against you. Punishments mentioned in the letters include “product seizure and/or injunction.”
It seems like the FDA is now more concerned over the safety of cannabidiol than ever.
“Only one prescription drug (Epidiolex) is FDA-approved to cure two epilepsy disorders. All other Cannabidiol-containing products are not FDA-certified. The FDA maintains that the safety of CBD is still questionable,” said the Food & Drug Administration.
The Agency also mentioned that “it isn’t aware of any basis to approve that CBD is safe for use in human and animal food.”
CBD supporters will Fight Back
But will manufacturers, retailers, and customers take the Agency’s threats lying down? No! We certainly expect to see CBD supporters seek help from Congress to pass laws that will address the Agency’s concerns.
It is not easy to tell, however, whether the CBD industry will gather enough data to present their case and have the FDA cross the floor— and grant CBD the GRAS status.
Is the CBD industry FDA’s Sacrificial lamb?
Two attorneys, Jonathan Havens and Lauren Farruggia of Saul.com, view the move against the CBD sector from a different perspective.
According to a blog by the two lawyers, the fact that the warning harmonizes with the approaching entry of FDA’s new would-be commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn is a questionable move.
It raises a bigger question; is the FDA getting things in order ahead of the entry of Dr. Hahn?
And to cover it up (according to the blog), the FDA mentioned that, on top of cracking down on CBD, it would target other products that pose public-health hazards, such as those with heavy metals, pesticides, and THC and those sold to vulnerable demographics.
Final Words
The future is full of surprises for a promising CBD industry as the FDA maintains its position on cannabidiol, and supporters seek to get the Agency on their side.
Hopefully, the sector will give the FDA good reasons to approve CBD.
Author Bio: Blair Thomas has been a music producer, bouncer, screenwriter, and for over a decade has been the proud Co-Founder of eMerchantBroker, the highest-rated Nutraceutical Merchant Account provider in the country. He has climbed in the Himalayas, survived a hurricane, and lived on a gold mine in the Yukon. He currently calls Thailand his home with a lifetime collection of his favorite books.
