A coalition of consumer brands that includes Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Kellogg is appealing to U.S. health regulators to get going on regulations to allow over-the-counter CBD.
The July 22 letter from the Consumer Brands Association argues that current U.S. policy on CBD “is not working” because CBD is not allowed in foods, drinks and dietary supplements, but such products are nonetheless commonly sold by companies flouting regulations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“FDA inaction is resulting in a marketplace full of CBD-containing products produced in establishments that escape FDA regulation,” the group wrote.
The group told Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock that its own polling showed 26% of the U.S. population has tried CBD, despite the fact that the cannabinoid is limited by federal law to pharmaceutical channels.
A bill to override the FDA and allow over-the-counter CBD sales is pending in the U.S. Senate but has not been heard. The FDA has been reviewing CBD policy since 2019 without a resolution.
“We’re all just getting a little tired and disappointed,” Jen Daulby, the Association’s senior vice president of government affairs, told Cannabis Wire, which first reported the FDA letter.
Late last year the consumer group enlisted a former head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to its advisory panel tackling CBD regulations.
