Cannabidiol (CBD) is a popular product that is available in many forms, such as drugs, foods, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and animal health products. However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved one CBD product for human use: a prescription drug to treat severe and rare forms of epilepsy in children. The FDA has not approved any other CBD products for humans or animals. This means that any product claiming to treat a disease or have a therapeutic or medical use is considered a drug and must be approved by the FDA before it can be sold.
The FDA has also warned companies to stop selling CBD products that they claim are intended to prevent, diagnose, treat, mitigate or cure serious illnesses such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, psychiatric disorders and diabetes. In addition, most CBD products are not regulated by the FDA. This means that consumers should be aware that products labeled as hemp or CBD may contain other ingredients such as THC, pesticides, heavy metals, bacteria or fungi. The FDA has received reports of some CBD products containing contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals.The FDA is exploring possible avenues for various types of CBD products to be legally marketed.
To do this, the agency is collecting data and using rigorous analytical methods to build a stronger scientific evidence base on the safety profile and use of CBD products. It is important for consumers to be aware that using CBD products can delay important medical care such as diagnosis, treatment and appropriate supportive care due to baseless claims related to these products. Furthermore, the manufacturing process for unapproved CBD drugs has not been reviewed by the FDA as part of the approval processes for drugs for humans or animals.
