House passes appropriations package that includes funding for a health hazard evaluation of CBD

The House of Representatives passed a five-bill appropriations package that included legislation that will fund a number of federal departments, including Commerce, Justice, Agriculture, Interior, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Energy from October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020. Among the bills that passed, one from the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies included an amendment that would appropriate $100,000 for the FDA to perform a Health Hazard Evaluation on CBD, and set a safe use level for consumers. The process would follow the same precedent as red yeast rice, allowing a dietary supplement to contain a level of a naturally-occurring drug ingredient that is deemed safe by FDA.

“This is a promising new product that Americans are excited about, but science and public health concerns must always come first,” said Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA; Washington, D.C.), in a press release. The trade organization has been actively lobbying for a CBD Health Hazard Evaluation, and worked directly with Representative Jerry McNerney of California’s 9th congressional district, who filed the amendment that made this possible. “NPA is leading this effort because we believe strongly in a clear and fair regulatory approach for all new ingredients," added Fabricant.