Science Board Meeting Could Launch US Toward Lawful Hemp Use, Or Extend Market Limbo

Questions FDA is asking advisors and the public could generate answers propelling it toward determining whether hemp use in supplements should be lawful with a waiver of its prohibition against using ingredients studied or approved as a drug; or, the answers could stop the FDA in its feet.

An upcoming public meeting of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Science Board could provide direction on evaluating the safety of dietary supplements and food containing cannabinoids or reveal that use of hemp ingredients has moved in directions the agency didn’t anticipate.

In a meeting conducted online on 14 June, the panel of FDA science advisors will use “cannabinoids as a case...