The US FDA held hearing on May 31, 2019 on whether CBD is safe and effective for public use. Today, the California Senate Health Committee is holding a public hearing on a bill that will permit the sale of consumable CBD products within the state. Under the bill, manufacturers producing consumable CBD products must register with the state, and obtain a certificate of analysis from an independent testing facility.
Currently, only licensed dispensaries are allowed to sell CBD products in California. The California Department of Health issued a frequently asked question in 2018 that prohibited the sale of consumable CBD outside of the licensed dispensary system until the US FDA determined that CBD products can be used as a food or California made the determination that CBD was safe.
Since the release of the FAQ, the DPH issued 13 violation notices, 7 voluntary condemnation and destruction regulatory letters, and 9 embargoes in response to fifty complaints. Under the bill, California will deem CBD products as safe, and permit the legal sale of products created by registered manufacturers that comply with the bill’s requirements.
The bill has received tremendous support from the industry and California municipalities such as Oakland and Emeryville. Only a couple of parties opposed the regulation due to lax testing standards and the breadth of availability upon the effectiveness of the new law.