Debra Borchardt
The Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) announced a hearing, “Hemp in the Modern World: The Yearslong Wait for FDA Action,” to look at the Food and Drug Administration’s failure to regulate hemp-derived and cannabidiol products under existing authorities for years.
The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, July 27 and will be live-streamed here.
“The FDA has failed for too long to do its job to ensure the safety of legalized hemp-derived products. Without these regulations, dangerous products could make their way to the shelves while safe and credible CBD products could be prevented from entering the market. We are going to investigate why exactly the FDA has decided to ignore its regulation responsibilities related to CBD and other areas of jurisdiction. We need to ensure that the FDA is not setting what would be a dangerous precedent and using this as an opportunity to seek more authority and resources from Congress,” McClain said.
The speakers include:
- Jonathan S. Miller, General Counsel, U.S. Hemp Roundtable
- Rayetta G. Henderson, Ph.D., Senior Managing Scientist, ToxStrategies, LLC
- Richard A. Badaracco, President-Elect, Kentucky Narcotic Officers Association, (Retired) Assistant Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
“I am honored to serve as a witness for this historic hearing to testify to the extraordinary challenges faced by hemp farmers and CBD consumers over the past five years,” said Jonathan Miller, General Counsel of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable. “The U.S. Hemp Roundtable is grateful to Chairman James Comer, subcommittee chair Lisa McClain, and ranking member Katie Porter for this critical opportunity. I look forward to shedding light on the urgent need for clear regulations that ensure consumer safety and promote the growth of the hemp industry.” Miller’s testimony will focus on the tremendous disruption to hemp farmers and businesses caused by the FDA’s inaction.
The hearing is expected to put pressure on the FDA to act. There is also a specific concern over synthetic delta-8 THC products that have proliferated in stores across the country.
2023 Farm Bill
The cannabis industry got a huge boost in 2018 with the Farm Bill that legalized hemp products. Every five years the bill gets renewed and that means this year, it is going to be in focus again.
“This is an historic moment for hemp,” stated Jonathan Miller, USHR’s General Counsel. “The five years since legalization have been challenging, and the 2023 Farm Bill is our next and best opportunity to take this industry a step forward. The unity
within the industry is remarkable and telling: Our shared voice will resonate with Congress and help us turn this opportunity into meaningful progress for hemp farmers and product consumers.”
One of the key priorities for the Hemp Industry Association is getting the FDA to act on CBD regulations. If there was legislation that regulated CBD by the FDA, it would increase the use of hemp extracts in many products and boost farming. Hemp farmers have been decimated by plunging wholesale prices.
The group would also like to permit hemp grain for animal feed. Currently, hemp seed products in this category require premarket approval for use in specific animal categories.
