White House Schedules Meetings on CBD Product Enforcement Policy
The White House has scheduled four meetings with cannabis industry stakeholders this week to discuss a proposed enforcement policy for CBD products. The meetings come as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews a yet-to-be-published guidance document titled “Cannabidiol (CBD) Products Compliance and Enforcement Policy.”
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) under the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced the meetings, which will take place on April 1-2. The meetings will allow stakeholders to discuss the proposed policy and provide input on the FDA’s guidance.
Among those scheduled to attend the meetings are David Heldreth, CEO of Panacea Plant Sciences, who plans to encourage the FDA to develop more comprehensive guidance on CBD that goes beyond isolates of the cannabinoid. Other attendees include Trent Woloveck of Jushi Holdings, Mackie Barch of Story Cannabis, and Earl Ramey, an Iowa hemp farmer.
The meetings come as the FDA is tasked with developing a list of known cannabinoids, which is required under federal hemp laws. The agency missed a congressional deadline to publish the list, and it is unclear when it will be released.
The proposed enforcement policy guidance also concerns an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in December, which aimed to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. The order also directed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to create a pathway for CBD health care coverage.
CMS recently shared details about its plan to cover hemp-derived products, which would allow patients enrolled in select insurance programs to have up to $500 of products covered each year. The plan would also allow for a certain amount of THC in products, but the rules are subject to change if federal hemp policy changes.
The new details about the rules for the CBD pilot program come as the industry prepares for significant changes to federal hemp laws, which are set to take effect in November. The changes will ban most consumable cannabinoid products containing THC, and the FDA will be responsible for enforcing the new regulations.
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