Todd Harrison was quoted in Natural Products Insider on July 10, 2018, in an article about hemp marketers remaining bullish about the market for cannabidiol (CBD) after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug to treat seizures associated with rare and severe forms of epilepsy. There is looming uncertainty by regulatory and legal experts about whether the FDA will set additional enforcement actions against companies selling the compound in dietary supplements.
Mr. Harrison said, "FDA has painted itself into a corner and must enforce." If FDA doesn’t enforce, it will make "a farce" of its "interpretation of the Federal, Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act," "and at some point, the agency has to be true to its word," Harrison stated.
The FDA also noted last month in a Q&A on its website that CBD cannot be sold in food supplements for another reason under federal law, and that CBD has been approved as a drug.
Harrison predicted the agency would move beyond a warning letter, such as seizing CBD-containing products.