Cannabidiol (CBD) products are now mainstream in Connecticut stores, a trend that will only increase with the recent legalization of commercial hemp growing in the state.
Now, state Attorney General William Tong is joining a group of his counterparts from around the country in asking the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to work with state governments to ensure that CBD and other cannabis-derived products are safe for consumers and marketed accurately. They also called for further scientific study of potential health risks and benefits for those who consume CBD.
“Currently, companies are creating a myriad of cannabinoid products largely unburdened by any oversight or testing requirements,” their letter reads. “The inherent complexity of cannabinoids, combined with the danger of hazardous additives, raise serious public health concerns that absent some rules or regulations, unscrupulous companies will be able to distribute products that include illegal cannabinoid combinations or have dangerous additives.”
The AGs want the products to be subject to testing and manufacturing guidelines.
“Ultimately, the responsibility for protecting consumers that use cannabinoids and CBD products cannot solely be left to the companies supplying products…” they wrote.
The FDA began a review of such products in April. The AGs’ letter was sent in response to the agency’s request for comments.
CBD has passed scientific muster as a treatment for certain severe childhood epilepsy syndromes, which helped lead to the FDA’s approval of a CBD-based drug called Epidiolex, but scientists say more evidence and study is needed for many other types of health problems, such as pain or post traumatic stress disorder, the New York Times reported earlier this year.