NPA Continues to Call for Agency to Set Safe Level for Daily Use
WASHINGTON, DC – New CBD warning letters and a consumer update from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not go far enough to protect consumers from a looming public health crisis, warned the Natural Products Association (NPA) today. The FDA on Nov. 25 sent 15 warning letters to companies manufacturing and selling CBD products. NPA continues to support legislation that would require the FDA to set a safe level of consumption for CBD.
“Consumers and America’s burgeoning hemp industry are the biggest losers here because this so-called action only invites another vaping crisis where illicit and potentially lethal imported substances posing as CBD can and will proliferate,” said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., President and CEO of NPA. “CBD is as common as bottled water in the US, and letters to a handful of companies and bureaucratic head scratching helps no one. It is well past time to bring science into the equation as federal rules require and as the US House of Representatives directed. Safety and consumer protection must come first.”
The Senate is currently considering legislation passed by the House of Representatives that would appropriate $100,000 for the FDA to perform a Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) and set a safe level of CBD for consumers to use each day. The process would follow the same precedent as red yeast rice, which allows a natural product to contain a level of a drug ingredient that the FDA has determined to be safe.
A recent NPA poll showed that 44% of Americans are less likely to use CBD products after learning that the FDA has no standards in place to protect consumers, including 30% who say they would be far less likely to use the products. Likewise, the poll also found that 47% of Americans would stop using CBD products if they or someone they knew got sick from using CBD. Seventy percent of registered voters believe FDA should have already established safety standards for CBD products.
Recent NPA Actions on CBD:
- Recently, NPA led a legislative effort to secure language in the FY 2020 House Agriculture Appropriations bill to appropriate $100,000 for the FDA to perform an HHE and is leading a grassroots effort urging the Senate to act.
- On May 31, 2019, NPA testified at the FDA’s first public hearing on CBD.
- On March 14, 2019, NPA submitted official comments to the FDA concerning approaches to CBD regulation that will also help facilitate the discussion.
- On October 24, 2018, NPA sent a letter to FDA asking for regulatory leadership on CBD products.
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Natural Products Association
The Natural Products Association (NPA) is the trade association representing the entire natural products industry. We advocate for our members who supply, manufacture and sell natural ingredients or products for consumers. The Natural Products Association promotes good manufacturing practices as part of the growth and success of the industry. Founded in 1936, NPA represents over 1,000 members accounting for more than 10,000 locations of retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of natural products, including foods, dietary supplements, and health/beauty aids. Visit www.npanational.org
