Both sellers and consumers may benefit as bad actors are forced out
By: Stephanie Ramirez
“Lack of regulation has not been helpful to most companies either, because how do you sell a product you can't say anything about?” —Sterling Cook, Co-founder and CEO, Green Compass
Every five years, Congress passes legislation that sets national agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry policy, commonly referred to as the “Farm Bill.” The last Farm Bill, signed into law by then President Trump, expressly removed “hemp” from the definition of “marijuana” under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), thereby legalizing industrial hemp and industrial hemp-derived compounds.
This move brought on a windfall of companies offering CBD products, including several direct sellers. However, since the 2018 Farm Bill was passed, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has repeatedly and explicitly stated that CBD may not be added to food and dietary supplements because under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), a food or dietary supplement may not contain ingredients that are also active ingredients in an FDA-approved drug product.