FDA plans first public hearings on legalizing CBD foods in April

• The Food and Drug Administration will start looking into how it might legalize CBD-laced food products in April, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told lawmakers Wednesday.
• Congress legalized hemp-derived CBD in December, but FDA rules prohibit companies from adding it into food.

Angelica LaVito
Published 5:29 PM ET Wed, 27 Feb 2019

The Food and Drug Administration will hold its first public hearings on CBD in April as the agency weighs rules allowing companies to add the popular cannabis-based compound to food, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Wednesday.

"We're deeply focused on this. We have taken on other hard challenges before," Gottlieb told the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. "You have my commitment I'm focused on this one."

Gottlieb said he has heard Congress "loud and clear" when it legalized hemp products, including CBD, in December and is putting together a working group of senior officials to work on the new rules. The FDA will kick off its rulemaking process with a public hearing in April, he said. However, Gottlieb warned the committee that it will not be a "straightforward" process.

CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant that promises to relax the body without altering the mind. While the federal government legalized CBD that's derived from hemp, a close cousin of marijuana, the FDA's rules still prohibit companies and restaurants from adding it to food or drinks.

Gottlieb floated what a possible framework might look like. He suggested high concentrations might be regulated as a drug that has more stringent oversight while lower concentrations could be categorized as food products that come with an easier review process.

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