CBD safety advice January 2020
With the growing interest in the consumer products derived from cannabis and its components, including cannabidiol (CBD) both the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, USA) and the FSA (The Food Standards Agency, UK) have in the early 2020 released safety advice and warnings regarding the intake and sale of CBD products.
UK – FSA
The FSA has published their first advice on CBD fever and have also sent out a warning to the producers in the industry, urging them to submit valid novel food authorisations by March 31. 2021, if the producers fails to provide the information, their products will be taken of the shelves.
The safety advice from FSA states that CBD could be risky to vulnerable groups, including those who are pregnant, breast-feeding or taking any medication are recommend not to use CBD products.
The advice for healthy adults is no more than 70mg a day.
USA – FDA
The FDA only approved one medical CBD product, Epidiolex, a prescription drug, that treat certain forms of epilepsy.
Regarding CBD used in food products the FDA states that it is illegal to market CBD by adding it to a food product or labelling it as a dietary supplement, this also applies for pet food.
FDA expresses concerns about cannabis products in general for children, pregnant and breastfeeding women. While they are understanding to the fact that parents are trying to find treatment for their children, they stress that the use of untested drugs can have unpredictable consequences.
For cosmetics the FDA does not have any requirements regarding the content of CBD or cannabis-derived products in general.
So the legality of CBD products depends on the intended use and how it is labelled and marketed. The FDA are communicating with the local officials, answering questions about the requirements and helping consumers and producers understanding the CBD landscape at state level, and encourage to engage with state or local regulatory partners.
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