The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has for the umpteenth time raised concerns about cannabis derived compounds such as CBD and Delta-8 which currently command a large share of the cannabis market. According to the FDA, the burgeoning CBD industry is unregulated and this brings along concerns about consumer safety. In the recent past, the FDA has issued several warning letters to companies making false and unsubstantiated claims about the therapeutic potential of marketing CBD and delta-8. This time around, the FDA will be responding to the issue by issuing regulatory recommendations, as was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing FDA officials.
A statement from the FDA that was quoted by the Wall Street Journal read in part, “Given what we know about the safety of CBD so far, it raises concerns for FDA about whether these existing regulatory pathways for food and dietary supplements are appropriate for this substance. FDA is currently reviewing three Citizen petitions related to this, and we plan to respond to them soon.”
The FDA will be giving recommendations on how the CBD industry will be regulated henceforth to safeguard consumer safety. This may be in the form of new rules for the agency or the revision of Congress laws that will be issued in the next few months.
According to a 2021 FDA report, the CBD market is gunning for a value of $4.6 billion by 2026. The new regulations may bolster consumer trust that has been waning and hence keep the industry on track with a positive double digit growth trajectory in the next coming years.
