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FDA casts shadow on hemp win, calling CBD products illegal

Posted at 5:02 PM, Dec 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-21 18:02:09-05

SEATTLE (AP) – The hemp industry still has work ahead to win legal status for hemp-derived cannabidiol, or CBD oil. The head of the Food and Drug Administration says adding CBD to food or dietary supplements is still illegal.

President Donald Trump signed a farm bill Thursday designating hemp as an agricultural crop. The same day, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb issued a statement saying CBD is a drug ingredient and therefore illegal to add to food or supplements without approval from his agency.

Courtney Moran, a lobbyist for Oregon hemp farmers, says she plans to work with U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, to nudge the FDA toward greater acceptance of CBD.

CBD is a non-psychoactive compound found in hemp, a type of cannabis plant.