Leader McConnell Discusses Hemp, CBD with Acting FDA Commissioner

Statement

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) met with Acting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless today in his office in the U.S. Capitol. During the meeting, Senator McConnell discussed the role of tobacco in Kentucky's history, and the importance of hemp production today.

Senator McConnell informed Dr. Sharpless of the positive impact the legalization of hemp is having in Kentucky. He also reminded Dr. Sharpless of some of the ongoing challenges -- such as the need for a regulatory framework for CBD -- he hears about from hemp farmers, processors and manufacturers in the state.

"While the 2018 Farm Bill included my provision to remove hemp, and its derivatives like CBD, from the list of controlled substances, CBD food and dietary supplement products remain in a gray area without clarification from the FDA," Senator McConnell said. "Congress' intent was clear with the passage of the Farm Bill that these products should be legal, and our farmers, producers and manufacturers need clarity as well as a workable pathway forward regarding the Agency's enforcement and potential regulatory plans for certain CBD products. I appreciate Acting Commissioner Sharpless meeting with me today to discuss this important issue. Like my constituents, I am anxious to know the FDA's plans to ensure public access to safe CBD products."

Background: In December 2018, President Trump signed into law the 2018 Farm Bill, which included Senator McConnell's language to legalize hemp as an agricultural commodity by removing it from the federal list of controlled substances. Earlier this year, Senator McConnell sent letters to several federal financial regulators encouraging them to help hemp farmers and producers explore the full economic opportunity of hemp. In 2014, in collaboration with agriculture leaders in Kentucky and throughout the nation, Senator McConnell secured language in that year's Farm Bill to authorize hemp research pilot programs, which is what Kentucky continues to operate under today. He also used his position as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee to insert provisions in yearly appropriations bills to ensure hemp produced from the pilot programs could be transported, processed and marketed without interference from the federal government. Under the guidance of Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles and his predecessor, now-U.S. Representative James Comer (R-KY), these programs have allowed Kentucky farmers to both research the plant and to demonstrate its potential as a viable cash crop.

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