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A couple of months ago, I went to grab a coffee and noticed a brand new item on the menu that I never would have expected to see: CBD.
In the past year or so, CBD (short for “cannabidiol”) has become the new hotness with people looking for a more untraditional cure for a variety of ailments ranging from insomnia to anxiety, which actually makes it the perfect antidote if you suffer from coffee jitters.
Back in December, Congress passed a bill legalizing CBD that’s been extracted from hemp. However, according to CNBC, the cannabinoid is still in a bit of a legal grey area thanks to a law that prohibits companies from adding any substance that’s being used in clinical trials or as the basis of a prescription drug to food and drink.
With that said, as we recently established, that hasn’t stopped people from adding CBD to almost everything you can think of, ranging from jelly beans to beer and pretty much everything in between.
Now, it looks like the FDA is prepared to change its tune after announcing it will be holding a hearing on May 31st that will allow people to air their grievances and present evidence as they try to figure out exactly how CBD should be regulated (commissioner Scott Gottlieb said they might establish a threshold for what’s considered a standard dose for consumable products).
In a statement, the agency explained the purpose of the CBD hearing, saying:
“The goal of the hearing is to obtain additional scientific data and other information related to cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds, both from botanical and synthetic sources, to inform our regulatory oversight of these products.”
While CBD has recently experienced a meteoric rise, it still remains in the shadows thanks to the uncertainty surrounding it and a favorable FDA decision could make it even more popular than it already is.
Here’s to hoping reason will prevail.
Reason will prevail!