FDA's Public Hearing on Cannabis and Cannabis-derived Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a public hearing to obtain data and information regarding the safety, manufacturing, product quality, marketing, labeling, and sale of products that contain cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds.

The Cannabis species of plant is a member of the Cannabaceae family and has over eighty biologically active compounds. The two most widely known ones are 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Since 1970, parts of the cannabis sativa plant have been restricted under the Federal Controlled Substances Act (FCSA) under the drug class “Marijuana.”

In recent years the market for products containing THC and CBD has grown rapidly, and that growth has ushered in an era of changing laws and uncertainty regarding FDA regulations.

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law 115-334 (known as the 2018 Farm Bill) that was signed into law in December of 2018 removed cannabis sativa L. and any part of the plant (“hemp”) from the FCSA. This was intended help the growing hemp industry via the facilitation of production and marketing, but even though hemp is no longer listed as a controlled substance, the Farm Bill preserved the FDA’s authority to regulate hemp products. So, effectively, the rules and regulations are still hazy.

The FDA does not expect any final decisions or specific regulations to be decided at this hearing, rather it is intended as a forum where trade experts can share scientific data, opinions, questions, and concerns.

The goal of the hearing is to gather as much information in order to continue the complicated effort to create regulations for this dynamic market. Consumers, manufacturers, and retailers will all benefit once the FDA has finalized its new policy.

The public hearing is scheduled for May 31st, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and anyone can register to either attend or view the hearing via webinar. For more information, go to

https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/MeetingsConferencesWorkshops/ucm634550.htm.

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