NPA testifies before California's Senate Committee on Health about proposed CBD legislation

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Kyle Turk, director of government affairs for the Natural Products Association (NPA; Washington, D.C.) recently testified at a public hearing before California’s Senate Committee on Health on new legislation (Senate Bill 235) the state is considering that would establish standards for CBD products, and prevent manufacturers as well as distributors from making false claims. California is the latest of at least 23 states to have introduced or passes legislation to regulate CBD as a dietary supplement or food ingredient.

The new bill would do the following:

• Require manufacturers of dietary supplements or industrial hemp to demonstrate that all parts of the plant were sourced from a country or state with an established and approved industrial hemp program.
• Prohibit manufacturers and distributors from making false label claims.
• Require the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Bureau of Cannabis Control to develop a process to share license, registration, cultivar, and enforcement information to facilitate compliance and enforcement against unlicensed industrial hemp product and raw extract manufacturers and retailers.

“This is a positive development for consumers in California but ultimately we are going to need clear guidance from the federal government,” said Turk, in a press release. “A patchwork of state laws could lead to confusion for consumers and businesses, and we will continue to call for the FDA to set a safe level of daily consumption for CBD. We look forward to working with regulators in California and across the country on ways to safely regulate CBD.”