In a congressional committee hearing on FDA, a representative of the hemp industry spoke on what the FDA has done to not regulate cannabis products like CBD.
The meeting, entitled “Restoring trust in FDA: rooting out illicit products,” is expected to feature a variety of expert speakers.
In a memo published last week, the committee states that FDA has “failed” to take enforcement measures and approve products. This led to a flood illicit products.
This meeting will not be devoted to cannabis. Jonathan Miller from the U.S. Hemp Roundtable will be one of the witnesses. The organization, which has been critical of FDA’s lackadaisical attitude towards CBD and other cannabinoids regulations ever since federal legalization was achieved under the Farm Bill 2018, is listed as one the four selected witnesses.
Miller said that in her testimony before the committee “the success of hemp policy is a hallmark bipartisan.”
“It’s no wonder—hemp products are made in the USA, harvested from crops grown by American farmers, manufactured by innovative U.S. entrepreneurs, and sold by small businesses dotting the nation,” he said, adding that, over the past decade, “U.S. farmers have rebuilt a domestic supply chain of hemp and hemp products.”
He said that the U.S. industry for hemp continues to face bureaucratic obstacles in the market. The turmoil in the hemp industry is largely due to actions and statements made by government officials. [FDA].”
You can watch the live stream of the FDA hearing in Congress below.
The FDA’s contradictory views have left us in a state of confusion. The agency first affirmed that it was able to regulate CBD in accordance with current laws. Leaders at FDA recognized Congress’ desire for FDA to move quickly. In the interim, FDA did not act, even though congressional reports urging them to do so were ignored. Federal regulatory uncertainty has severely affected the hemp and CBD markets, with reduced demand for manufacturing resulting in more than 90 per cent commodity price decreases, crushing U.S. opportunities. farmers.”
The FDA has not taken any action, he said. This “doesn’t only threaten the future CBD market in America for American consumers and farmers,” but also a new industry is emerging to cater to the demand of adult customers for cannabinoids derived from hemp such as delta-8 THC. delta-9 THC. and CBN.
Miller explained that these products are plant-based products for adults looking to find products with benefits in health and wellbeing. These products haven’t been adequately addressed. The hemp beverage market has also exploded in popularity. It meets the demand of adult consumers for non-alcoholic beverages by using domestic inputs.
We are optimistic that the FDA’s new leadership will take action to regulate hemp products. They can use their existing authorities. The new Administration is focused on giving adult consumers freedom to choose holistic health solutions for their families. These are products grown in American farms. “If that’s true, then we urge Congress to make sure that this agency has the resources it needs to properly implement good policies.”
The hemp industry is unique, in the sense that it comes to Congress and asks: “Please regulate us!” His testimony ends. “A rational, sensible regulatory framework for the hemp industry can also provide a needed financial jolt to our nation—an economic stimulus package for the nation’s farmers and small businesses without requiring one dime from the American taxpayer.”
Miller, speaking to MEDCAN24 in the past week, said that the testimony he gave was an “update”, on the issues he outlined at a 2023 hearing held before a panel subcommittee. The lawmakers had raised concerns over FDA’s unwillingness to create rules allowing hemp to be marketed as a dietary or food supplement.
In the two years since that initial meeting, the hemp market has faced repeated regulatory challenges—with a growing number of states moving to enact bans on certain hemp products due to the lack of regulations around intoxicating cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC that have become widely available.
Miller stated that “nothing at FDA has been done” to solve the problem. Miller said, “We think that these efforts to ban our products have much to do with not being regulated.” If we get our products regulated then hopefully the people won’t try to ban them.
One potential legislative solution that Miller said he planned to raise with the committee at the hearing is a bipartisan bill Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) filed last year that would create a federal regulatory framework for hemp-derived cannabinoids.
It would allow states to determine their own standards for CBD-based products while also empowering FDA in order to make sure that safety standards on the market are being met.
In the absence of FDA rules, states from California to Florida have pushed for sweeping changes to their own laws around consumable hemp products. The focus of attention has been on products that are intoxicating, but CBD-based businesses which are federally legal have become increasingly targeted.
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Meanwhile, as lawmakers prepare to once again take up large-scale agriculture legislation this session, congressional researchers in January provided an overview of the policy landscape around hemp—emphasizing the divides around various cannabis-related proposals among legislators, stakeholders and advocates.
Senate Democrats released the long-awaited draft of 2024 Farm Bill last year that contained several proposed changes to federal hemp laws—including provisions to amend how the legal limit of THC is measured and reducing regulatory barriers for farmers who grow the crop for grain or fiber. But some stakeholders expressed concerns that the bill was intended to eliminate a wide range of hemp products currently sold on the market.
For now, hemp is still facing unique regulations that have caused its value to plummet in just a few years after legalization. Despite the economic conditions, however, a recent report found that the hemp market in 2022 was larger than all state marijuana markets, and it roughly equaled sales for craft beer nationally.
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Brendan Cleak provided the photo.
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