CBD Food Additives Bill Reaches a New Level in Virginia
In Virginia, Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill that allows the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to adopt and regulate hemp extraction standards, including labeling requirements and batch testing.
This document gives government the authority to regulate the industry and relates hemp extract, including CBD, to food additives. The bill will also help develop hemp industry and regulate production requirements and conditions.
The 2018 Farm Bill excluded hemp and its derivatives from controlled substances, so crops can be grown and distributed in most states, but CBD is not allowed in food. Despite the position of the FDA, producers continue to add CBD to all types of products throughout the country.
According to manufacturers, this bill will give strength to the CBD industry, and by 2025, sales could reach $ 6 billion.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, told the Capital Press CBD could be a billion dollar industry for his state. During the 2019 growing season, about 1,200 registered hemp growers planted around 2,200 acres of the crop in Virginia, The Associated Press reported.
The procedure for adopting the bill dragged on. A year ago, the FDA did not approve CBD products and issued warning letters to companies that misused the CBD. Last month, the FDA announced it would reopen the comment period for CBD hearings. Congress continues to push the FDA to adopt policies and consider adopting an interim final rule to regulate the CBD as a dietary supplement.
As consumer demand continues to grow, Virginia is not the only state to develop its own CBD rules. States such as Alabama, Colorado, and Maine allow CBD in any consumer goods if they do not exceed 0.3% THC. And others are considering similar bills to the one that Northam has just signed.
Relatedly, the newly installed commissioner of the FDA, Stephen Hahn, said last week that given the widespread availability and interest in CBD, it would be a “fool’s game” to ban them.
“People are using these products. We’re not going to be able to say you can’t use these products. It’s a fool’s game to try to even approach that. ”
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