CBD is a product widely used throughout the US nowadays, sold as an extract, flower, a vaporized liquid, and an oil-based capsule. CBD has proven to help with anxiety, sleep, muscle pain, and other illnesses. There’s still controversy amongst health officials about the use of CBD and how and where it should meet with consumers, as well as what regulations to put in place. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently turned down an application from Charlotte’s Web Holdings Inc. for a CBD product’s classification as a dietary ingredient. This decision left much uncertainty over the cannabis industry for the substance.
Charlotte’s Web Holdings Inc. placed a bid to sell its full-spectrum hemp extract with CBD as a dietary supplement. Now, it won’t be considered because of the FDA’s prior decision to claim CBD as a drug, according to a letter posted by the company’s website this week. The FDA’s decision will not interfere with CW’s business or disrupt any other companies that sell CBD products, though. But, it does prove that there is a gray area when it comes to these cannabis-derived products. The FDA’s decision displays the agency’s hesitancy to regulate cannabidiol, which is a non-psychoactive ingredient in cannabis plants.
What Does This Mean For the CBD Business?
While this seems like a step back in the progression of the cannabis industry, we must not forget that the CBD products alone have grown to more than $6 billion in revenue over the last few years. Consumers seek CBD products as a sleeping aid, muscle and mind relaxer, and for other related health benefits. It’s widely sold around the U.S. and has become more and more popular over the last several years.
The reason the FDA denied having CBD as a dietary supplement is because they claim that “it has concerns about the adequacy of safety evidence” that Charlotte’s Web Holdings Inc. submitted for their request. The FDA wanted more data on potential reproductive toxicity and potential liver problems.
CBD sellers and buyers will have to continue to face FDA disapproval. They believe the selling and purchasing of cannabis is a gray area concerning health and safety. Companies that want to use CBD in certain ways like Charlotte’s Web need to have more data and information ready; especially when trying to get approval from the FDA. It should be made clear that there are little to no health concerns. Only time will tell what will happen next in this booming industry, and for now, we hope that the FDA will continue to do their research and see both sides of the spectrum.
