Stephen Hahn, nominee to be commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, at his Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing Wednesday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Federal regulation of CBD products briefly became the focus of a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, as senators questioned Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration. One lawmaker described his own experience with the unregulated market for the hemp-derived product.
“I have football knees” Sen. Pat Roberts told Stephen Hahn, the nominee, before describing his “personal interest” in cannabidiol regulations.
Roberts, a Kansas Republican who also is chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, described his disappointment when his wife encouraged him to try using a topical CBD oil on his knees and it failed to alleviate his pain.
Critics in the industry say the agency has dragged its feet on issuing regulations around the sale and purchase of hemp-derived CBD, which was federally legalized in the 2018 Farm Bill.
Roberts announced in January that he will not run for reelection in 2020.