FDA holds long-awaited CBD hearing

The FDA will hold a long-awaited public hearing today on the regulation of cannabis-derived products, including CBD, the hemp extract currently being put in everything from body lotion to dietary supplements. The meeting is the official public kickoff of what is likely to be a yearslong endeavor to regulate this market. More than 100 participants — including industry representatives, academic researchers, and health professionals — are set to testify. CBD manufacturers, traditional dietary supplement makers, and consumer advocates have all called for clearer rules of the road for the booming market, but the FDA has struggled to regulate the $390 million industry because of uncertainty over whether some of the products ought to count as therapeutics or nutritional supplements.