Washington, D.C.—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) announced in a press release that it is opening up membership to companies that market hemp-derived CBD and whole spectrum hemp extract in food and dietary supplements. The Board of Directors voted on the decision in March, and have accepted CV Sciences, OLEO Inc., and Demetrix for membership.

FDA maintains that hemp-derived CBD in food or supplements is unlawful,due to substantial clinical investigations of CBD as a drugbefore being sold as a food or supplement. That said, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottliebhas acknowledged that the agency is exercising enforcement discretion for CBD products.

“Nothing about FDA’s acknowledgement of enforcement discretion exempts a CBD manufacturer from good manufacturing practices, the prohibition on making disease claims, the requirement for claim substantiation, serious adverse event reporting, and all of the other aspects of our comprehensively regulated industry,” Steve Mister, president and CEO of CRN, said in the release. “Unfortunately, many companies marketing products as containing CBD are not observing these compliance obligations, to put it mildly. Pursuing membership in CRN not only demonstrates to consumers a commitment to bringing safe, quality products to the market, but also a commitment to being part of the responsible, mainstream dietary supplement marketplace.”

In addition to CRN’s vetting procedures for compliance with all industry regulations, CRN says all potential CBD members will be required to prove that their products or ingredients are derived from hemp, not marijuana, and that the ingredients and products contain less than 0.3% THC.

CRN urges FDA to clarify the regulatory path forward for CBD, and is working with allies in Congress and other influencers to bring this about as quickly as possible, the release says. CRN will be participating inFDA’s public meeting on CBD on May 31and CRN’s CBD Task Force continues to meet to plot strategy and share insights.

“Responsible marketers of hemp-derived CBD and whole spectrum hemp deserve to have a voice in the industry and in Washington, D.C., and CRN is proud to provide a platform for these companies to join us as we work to create a regulatory path forward to market CBD in food and dietary supplements,” said Mister.

For more information on CBD, published articles by CRN experts, and a webinar cohosted by CRN,go here.