While California consumers can legally buy and consume recreational marijuana or medical cannabis, California’s government has declared that cannabidiol (CBD) products are not to be used in foods or supplements sold in the state.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH), responding to what it said were “numerous inquiries from food processors and retailers who are interested in using industrial hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) oil or CBD products in food,” declared in an FAQ statement that “the use of industrial hemp as the source of CBD to be added to food products is prohibited.”
And that ban, the statement continues, will last until the FDA rules that hemp-derived CBD oil or products can be used as a food – or until California determines that CBD oil and products are safe for both animal and human consumption.
Hemp business groups are urging the state, the largest U.S. market for CBD, to reconsider its ban.
“Everyone in the industry wants to be able to sell their products there, and this FAQ is a source of great concern,” said Jonathan Miller, general counsel to the U.S. Hemp Roundtable.
