A $1.4 trillion government-wide spending package for 2020 is earmarking millions of dollars in funding for the FDA to conduct CBD research. But for some in the industry, that’s still not enough.
Hemp-derived CBD is mentioned in one of two spending bills in the package. The FDA and USDA will receive $2 million for research, market surveillance and policy evaluation.
The funds also earmark the FDA issuing an enforcement discretion policy for hemp products with CBD. The agency must perform an extensive study that tests products against the contents listed on their labels. However, some do not feel these steps are adequate enough to keep consumers from ingesting falsely advertised products.
“Providing funding for testing is a positive first step. Unfortunately, today’s action falls short of what is needed to protect consumers,” said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Natural Products Association. The future of the U.S. hemp industry and the farmers and producers who provide it are directly tied to smart regulations for CBD. This includes [the] FDA establishing a safe level of consumption so consumers are protected.”
False Advertising
A recent Leafly study tests the CBD content of 47 popular CBD products. This also includes our Standard Potency CBD Tincture. While our product passes Leafly’s test, their findings also show alarming results.
One in three products in the study contain less than 80% of the CBD they claim to deliver. A shocking 11% of the tested products did not contain any CBD whatsoever. Nearly 17% of the products also contain more than 120% of the total CBD they claim to have.
However, the study results show progress compared to three years ago. A similar FDA study from 2016 shows that 77% of tested products contain less CBD than stated on the label. Many products in the study also did not contain any CBD.