The New Jersey State Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee unanimously passed a resolution asking the U.S. Congress to set a safe level for CBD consumption. President and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA), Daniel Fabricant, PhD, testified at the committee hearing.
“NPA thanks the Committee for acknowledging that it is long past time for the federal government to take action and regulate CBD. Unless we get clear federal guidelines and safety standards consumers are still going to be at risk. Setting a safe level of consumption for CBD products is the best way to move forward with this promising new product while protecting consumers,” said Fabricant.
New Jersey Senate Resolution No. 163 reads:
“Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that food additives or dietary supplements that contain cannabidiol are illegal under federal law. This is despite the fact that over 1,500 products that contain cannabidiol have arrived on the market without a clear approach from the FDA to regulate the products and ensure consumer safety. The lack of clear policy from the FDA and the patchwork regulation of substance by the states create a complex legal framework for companies that sell cannabidiol products for their operations. As a result, interstate commerce for national cannabidiol companies is difficult because banks, insurance companies, and merchant companies are uneasy about providing services to cannabidiol companies at the risk of involvement from the FDA. Therefore, the President and Congress of the United States should establish a safe daily level of consumption of cannabidiol because it would allow individuals to experience the medical benefits of cannabidiol products and generate economic activity by encouraging interstate commerce for cannabidiol companies.”
The full resolution can be viewed here. The resolution’s bipartisan co-prime sponsors are Deputy Minority Leader Senator Bob Singer (NJ-30-R) and Chairman of the State Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee, Senator Joe Vitale (NJ-19-D).
The NPA worked with lawmakers in New Jersey to pass the resolution and is continuing to work with the U.S. Congress to pass legislation to set a safe level of consumption for CBD. The U.S. Senate is currently considering legislation passed by the House of Representatives that would appropriate $100,000 for the FDA to perform a health hazard evaluation (HHE) and set a safe level of CBD for consumers to use each day. The process would follow the same precedent as red yeast rice, which allows a natural product to contain a level of a drug ingredient that the FDA has determined to be safe. With the exception of Epidiolex, all CBD products in the U.S. are considered illegal by the federal government.
