Madison, WI: Commercially available CBD-infused products typically contain percentages of cannabidiol that differ significantly from the information provided on their labels, according to data published in the journal Epilepsy & Behavior.
A team of investigators affiliated with the University of Wisconsin, School of Pharmacy performed laboratory analyses on a variety of commercially available CBD products, including infused oils, beverages, and edibles.
Consistent with numerous other analyses of unregulated, commercially available CBD-branded products, investigators reported that the percentage of CBD available in many of the products tested “varies largely from their label claims.” CBD-infused beverage products were most likely to contain CBD percentages that differed from their labels.
More than three years following the passage of federal legislation legalizing hemp production, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to promulgate rules regulating the marketing and sale of commercial products containing hemp-derived CBD. Speaking in October at the National Industrial Hemp Business Summit in Washington, DC, FDA representative Gail Sipes said that the agency cannot move forward with regulations without more data on the safety of CBD products. At that time, she reiterated the agency’s position that companies that market CBD-infused products as either food products or as dietary supplements are violating the Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics Act.
In a report provided by the FDA to Congress in 2020, the agency said that regulating over-the-counter CBD products presents a unique challenge because the substance is already available as a FDA-approved medicine (Epidiolex).
NORML and other groups have consistently urged the FDA to provide regulatory guidelines overseeing the production, testing, labeling, and marketing of hemp-derived CBD products.
Full text of the study, “Analysis of cannabidiol (CBD) and THC in nonprescription consumer products: Implications for patients and practitioners,” appears inEpilepsy & Behavior.
