On November 25, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement regarding warning letters to 15 companies for illegally selling products containing (CBD) in ways that violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).

The FDA has come forth and stated these marketed products have not been approved by the FDA and there are still concerns surrounding the safety of CBD.

The FDA’s concern comes from the notion that consumers are wrongly thinking the various CBD products on the market have undergone evaluation by the FDA and have been generally recognized as safe (GRAS). The companies receiving these warnings are using webpages, online stores and social media to market CBD products in interstate commerce in ways that violate the FD&C Act, including marketing CBD products to treat diseases or for other therapeutic uses for humans and/or animals.

You can find the complete statement from the FDA as well as the warning letters sent to the 15 companies here: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-warns-15-companies-illegally-selling-various-products-containing-cannabidiol-agency-details?utm_campaign=FDA%20issues%20warning%20letters%20to%2015%20companies%20for%20illegally%20selling%20products%20containing%20cannabidiol&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

The FDA plans to provide an update regarding the agency’s approach to these products in the coming weeks.