Senate Democrat introduces legislation giving FDA oversight of CBD safety standards

A new bill could make it easier for the federal government to regulate legal hemp products and keep them out of the hands of Americans under 21.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced the new legislation, called the “Cannabinoid Safety and Regulation Act,” on Wednesday.

The bill would make it illegal to market and sell products containing intoxicating cannabinoids such as THC to minors and U.S. adults under the age of 21.

The bill also calls on the Food and Drug Administration and the Alcohol Tax Tobacco and Trade Bureau to establish rules for testing and labeling legal hemp-based products for adults.

“Cannabis prohibition has never kept cannabis out of the hands of children,” the bill states. “Robust regulation can provide consumers with a safe, reliable option, while deterring unregulated markets and prohibiting unsafe products.”

Congress legalized hemp, or cannabis with less than 0.3 percent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the compound primarily responsible for the plant’s psychoactive effects — in the 2018 Farm Bill.

But the bill did not include a regulatory framework for the plant-based product, leaving it exempt from testing or packaging requirements.

This makes it easy for children to access hemp products containing THC, such as CBD gummies and vapes.

California earlier this week banned hemp products containing any amount of THC, less than three weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a temporary ban on the products.