Representatives from the hemp industry recently joined forces to issue a letter to leaders of the House of Energy and Commerce Committee, urging the committee to expedite a hearing on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) regulation of the hemp market, including products such as CBD.

Among contributors to the letter were 28 non-profit organizations, representing every element of the hemp food chain and every region in the U.S., as well as four leading national dietary supplement organizations.

“In the more than five years since the legalization of hemp through the 2018 Farm Bill, in spite of a designated annual appropriation, the FDA has taken no meaningful steps toward the regulation of hemp — whether it be animal feed or extracts for human consumption like CBD,” the letter read.

The group also stated that the “repercussions of FDA inaction extend beyond consumer confusion,” noting that U.S. farmers have suffered economically, with commodity prices dropping by more than 90%.

The coalition letter also commends the House Energy and Commerce Committee for joining the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee in issuing a Request for Information (RFI) last summer.

However, the letter mentioned that while other committees have held hearings on the matter — namely House Agriculture and House Oversight — the Energy and Commerce Committee has not yet acted to bring the RFI ideas to public light through a hearing.

The letter then calls for a hearing that would provide an opportunity for committee members to weigh in on issues surrounding the survival of the hemp industry and the protection of health and public safety.

“It is no small task to unite today’s hemp industry around a shared goal. But this letter, and the accompanying 28 organizations, have all agreed we need FDA action to regulate hemp products, and we need it now,” said Jonathan Miller, general counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable. “The fate of the entire industry — hemp extracts, fiber, seed, etc. — depend on regulatory oversight, and we urge House Energy and Commerce to take swift action to address these issues through a hearing in the near future.”

The U.S. Hemp Roundtable is a national advocacy organization for the hemp industry, a coalition of dozens of companies and organizations committed to safe hemp and CBD products. The Roundtable works in partnership with the industry’s leading national, regional and state grassroots organizations.