In November 2019, the Food and Drug Administration cracked down on CBD distributors for marketing materials claiming that the product might have some health benefits for various aches, pains, and ailments. The crackdown came not because the claims are necessarily untrue, but because there has not yet been enough significant and methodical scientific research on the effects of the product. Although the FDA’s restrictions on what CBD distributors can say in promoting their products may affect these companies’ bottom lines for a short period of time, some producers of CBD are supportive of the changes and encourage the FDA’s move for more regulations.
Your CBD Store is a rapidly growing distributor of CBD products manufactured by SunMed/SunFlora Inc. Adam Campbell, SunFlora’s director of sales, explains that strict regulation of CBD will help weed out poor sources of CBD or unethical distributors. “Regulation can only help us as a company and as an industry,” he said. “The faster we can get some of the bad actors in the CBD industry, the better we can serve the public.”
SunMed Chief Science Officer Dr. Anthony Ferrari agrees and adds that companies that already distribute quality products ethically shouldn’t have any issues with further regulation. “Any clarity on CBD would mean that new product innovation could happen with clear rules on how those would be labeled as well,” he said. “The dietary natural supplement market actually has fewer restrictions for testing compared to CBD, so we are confident that the real good players in the industry could easily adapt to any regulatory standards that are required.”
Until November, there hadn’t been much regulation on the industry, and companies are still working to move toward compliance. This means that the market might still be saturated with poorly sourced CBD products from companies trying to make a quick buck with oversold (and currently unfounded) benefits.
“If you go on Amazon right now, you’ll find hundreds of ‘CBD’ products that contain zero CBD and have health claims all over the bottle,” Ferrari said. “We want the FDA to change that and allow for consumers to be able to find a trusted brand that has amazingly sourced ingredients.”
Campbell bolsters this point, saying that FDA regulation can help customers discern quality CBD products.
“We do believe that the FDA has the ability to supply clear rules making as the USDA continues to do,” Ferrari said. “We see this as a public health issue without regulation on the market, and it is a core reason that we as a company work with the USDA and other state regulators as closely as possible to find common-sense solutions.”
If you still have questions about CBD and would like to learn more, the Rio Grande Valley is home to four different Your CBD Store locations from McAllen to Brownsville. The Your CBD Store staff are an excellent source of information and are passionate about their work within the CBD industry. Consider visiting to learn more about their products and services — and try some free samples!
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