The White House has scheduled a meeting for next week with a cannabis biotechnology company executive regarding a proposed enforcement policy for CBD products.
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) under the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced earlier this month that it plans to review yet-unpublished guidance titled “Cannabidiol (CBD) Products Compliance and Enforcement Policy” that was submitted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Interested parties are able to request meetings for discuss the issue—and now the first meeting is set for April 1.
David Heldreth, CEO of Panacea Plant Sciences, told Marijuana Moment on Wednesday that he plans to use the meeting opportunity to encourage FDA to develop more holistic guidance around CBD that goes beyond isolates of the cannabinoid, which he expects the agency to default to based on its historical reluctance to regulate plants and extracts.
“I requested the meeting to push for the new FDA CBD policy to be more than an isolate or even just extract policy, and to include more items like hemp leaves or even flower for culinary use,” Heldreth said. “Hemp leaf is a protein-rich superfood that should be adopted more widely.”
The executive, who has also sought to inform federal cannabis policy with respect to a pending marijuana rescheduling rule, participated in a prior White House executive order meeting on FDA cannabidiol policy during the first Trump administration.
“I don’t feel like anything came of that, but it’s worth educating policy makers to try for a better outcome,” he said.
