NAAG Sends Letter to Food and Drug Administration Supporting Continued Study and Oversight of Cannabis-Derived Products

Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to their request for comments regarding “Scientific Data and Information About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-Derived Compounds.”

The letter urges federal cooperation with states to protect consumers. It also expresses concern some companies may use false advertising and unsubstantiated claims to mislead consumers into buying cannabis products. In the letter, NAAG also asks the FDA to consider regulatory oversight in testing and manufacturing, and to include state attorneys general in the process.

“Although products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds may well offer real benefits to consumers, it is important that consumers have reliable risk and benefit information to make informed choices about initiating and continuing the use of these products. A crucial element of FDA regulation and oversight should be an on-going assessment of the potential risks or benefits of these products, particularly for specific populations such as pregnant women, adolescents and children, and the elderly,” reads the NAAG letter signed by 37 state and territory attorneys general.

The Farm Bill, passed in December 2018, removed cannabis products containing less than .3% of THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, from the Schedule I list of drugs prohibited under the Controlled Substances Act. As a result, companies across the country have started to manufacture and sell varieties of cannabis commonly classified as “hemp.” Hemp contains little THC but large amounts of CBD, a compound that has been touted by some to treat a wide variety of health concerns.

The Farm Bill permits states to come up with their own “Comprehensive Regulatory Plan” to regulate the CBD industry within their borders. Those plans will be reviewed by the federal government for approval. In the interim, however, the CBD industry has expanded in the last six months and businesses are operating throughout the country without much oversight.

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