AHPA Chief Science Officer Holly Johnson, Ph.D., presented at the Natural Products Expo East Hemp and CBD Summit on Sept. 12 in Baltimore, Maryland. The summit was sponsored by AHPA member companies pioneering the hemp space, including CV Sciences and Charlotte’s Web by the Stanley Brothers.
The summit was designed to help participants educate consumers, prepare for regulators, interpret testing data, and advocate for the hemp industry and consumer access to hemp products. It included presentations from various groups and companies, and a panel of legal and regulatory experts for a question and answer session.
Johnson delivered a presentation which focused on challenges to ascertaining quality in hemp derived extracts and products. During the session, Johnson stressed that although regulatory uncertainty persists for now, AHPA encourages manufacturers to act as if they are already regulated under current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) requirements for dietary supplements (21 CFR part 111) by implementing cGMP compliant manufacturing practices, setting appropriate specifications, and using scientifically valid test methods.
She also spoke about how AHPA is working to set and implement standards for the hemp and CBD industry and advocating for the passage of the Hemp Farming Act to provide consumers with greater access to high-quality and safe products.
AHPA also continues to advocate for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow hemp and hemp derivatives like CBD to be considered dietary ingredients and remains optimistic about the future of American hemp products being sold as dietary supplements, according to Johnson.