CRN “strongly encourages FDA to exercise the statutory discretion provided to it in the FDCA to recognize a new legal category of CBD supplements,” the statement says. While CBD was first approved as a drug, the strong consumer interest in CBD, the growing market, and the difference in dosage between drugs and CBD supplements all make a compelling argument for the quick creation of that pathway. Once the supplement is legal, companies already marketing CBD supplements will have the incentive necessary to share safety data with FDA, and they will be able to bring their products into compliance with FDA’s standards.
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Steve Mister, CRN CEO and president, said in the statement: “When a marketer puts a Supplement Facts Label on a product, it is a very real promise to obey the rigorous rules policing supplement manufacturers. That means, among other things, that it is adhering to good manufacturing practices, registering its facilities with FDA, giving consumers a manner to report any adverse events, accurately listing all ingredients on the label, and refraining from making illegal drug-like claims.“The instant FDA creates a legal CBD supplement market, there is a well-developed body of law and regulations governing dietary supplements that can and should be enforced. It won’t take much for FDA to have a big impact. Several high profile enforcement actions would change the calculation of risk by companies who may be skirting the requirements of the law, and can immediately change behavior. The FDA could literally take this action tomorrow and begin fully regulating the CBD supplement industry, and we implore them to do so. That’s the surest path to safety and innovation.”
