FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said last week he’s committed to moving forward on a pathway for CBD, but he suggested the agency doesn’t have the current authorities to do so today and will require collaboration with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
“I don’t think the current authorities we have on the food side, the drug side, necessarily give us what we need to have to get the right pathways forward,” Califf said in response to a question from Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., during a May 19 hearing held by the House Committee on Appropriations. “We’re going to have to come up with something new. I’m very committed to do that.”
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) then asked Califf about possibly regulating CBD as a food and whether there was any timeline for doing so. The agency has asserted for years it’s unlawful to add CBD to food or market it as a dietary supplement.
“The research so far has shown that there are some risks with CBD, and so we’re going to need a different pathway than just the standard food pathway,” Califf responded.
He added, “I’m committed to do something about this, and it’s going to take some work. I hope that you’ll work with me on that because it’s going to take some creativity.”
Industry stakeholders have been frustrated by the agency’s purported lack of progress in regulating CBD as either a dietary supplement and/or a conventional food, despite the…
