In December, U.S. congress confidently approved 2018’s US Farm Bill, legalizing hemp in all 50 states.

While the bill legalized the production of hemp, it failed to provide detailed regulations for interested business operators; rules relating to testing, marketing, and public-consumption were specifically lacking.

In hopes of providing a more transparent & detailed market, The Department of Health & Services, under the guidance of the Food & Drug Administration, announced a public hearing scheduled for May 31, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“The goal of the hearing is to obtain additional scientific data and other information related to cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds, both from botanical and synthetic sources, to inform our regulatory oversight of these products,” states the official memo.

If you’d like to attend, or join via webcast, you can do so here: https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/MeetingsConferencesWorkshops/ucm634550.htm.

It’s a first step, but don’t expect concrete results anytime soon

Despite the appeal of an estimated market value of $22 billion by 2022, those hoping to receive specific operational guidelines will unfortunately have to wait.

The hearing, while important, is served to help give lawmakers a better understanding of cannabidiol & the full-spectrum properties of hemp. Within the memo, it clearly states final rules & regulations are not expected anytime soon.

“FDA does not intend for this hearing to produce any decisions or new positions on specific regulatory questions, but this hearing is expected to be an important step in our continued evaluation of cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds in FDA-regulated products,” states the memo.