Today, the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR) responded to a formal Request for Information (RFI) dated July 27, 2023, on federal cannabinoid hemp regulation from the U.S House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the U.S. Senate Committee of Health Education, Labor and Pensions.

CFCR’s 26-page response addresses the questions posed by Congress regarding current hemp regulatory framework at the FDA level and supports the request from the FDA in working with Congress for a pathway forward and legislative approach to regulate CBD. Read full response below.

In a collaborative effort between CFCR and cannabis academia, Karen Jaynes, MS, UMB ’23, presents her Masters Capstone White Paper to the University of Maryland-Baltimore, Medical Cannabis Science & Therapeutics Program, Class of 2023 symposium at the University of Shady Grove on May, 17, 2023. Karen’s presentation highlights the issues within the current cannabis federal regulatory framework as it pertains to industry and its intersections with the Food and Drug Administration. This work is detailed further in her paper, “Creating Comprehensive Informed Cannabis Legislation; A Conversation between Industry and the FDA”. This presentation focuses on conversations with expert advisors from CFCR’s Advisory Committee, including Joanne Chiedi, Mara Gordon, Scott Riefler, Jordan Tishler, MD, and Jacquie Cohen-Roth.

Watch the full video of this month's Canna Cafe with Co-Authors of Waiting to Inhale: Cannabis Legalization & the Fight for Racial Justice, Tahira Rehmatullah and Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, PHD. Join us on the first Friday of every month for a lively discussion.

Watch the full video of this month's Canna Cafe with Jordan Tishler, MD, President of the Association of Cannabinoid Specialists, Harvard Medical School. Join us on the first Friday of every month for a lively discussion.

Watch the full video of this month's Canna Cafe with David Neundorfer, CEO and Co-Founder of Open Book Extracts. Join us on the first friday of every month for a lively discussion.

Norman Birenbaum spoke about the FDA’s cannabis-related efforts during a discussion on Thursday hosted by the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation... the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR) hosted a virtual discussion on Thursday titled “Regulating Hemp Cannabinoids: Opportunities and Challenges.” The event brought together Norman Birenbaum, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s senior public health advisor, Scott Riefler, SōRSE Technology’s chief science officer, and Chris Murray, principal of FoxNRTH, Inc. CFCR’s Sheri Orlowitz moderated.

While President Biden earlier this month called for a review of how marijuana is scheduled under federal law, a top FDA official noted that no matter what federal agencies find, the final decision on any potential change rests with the DEA. Janet Woodcock, the FDA’s principal deputy commissioner, said that while the FDA is going to conduct a scientific and medical assessment of cannabis, the DEA is "not supposed to" second-guess its findings, Marijuana Moment reported.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra said earlier this month that the agency plans to review the status of cannabis as a Schedule I drug following President Joe Biden's historic announcement that he will pardon federal cannabis possession convictions, "as quickly as we can." On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) principal deputy commissioner Janet Woodcock called the federal government's marijuana scheduling review a "very high priority" during a webinar organized by the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR) and Thompson Coburn LLP, reported Marijuana Moment

FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Janet Woodcock called cannabis scheduling review a “very high priority” during an event hosted by the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation. The list of cannabis-related issues that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working on continues to grow.

Janet Woodcock, FDA’s principal deputy commissioner who formerly served as acting commissioner, spoke about the agency’s role in the scheduling review and the unique challenges of studying Schedule I drugs like marijuana during a webinar organized by the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR) and Thompson Coburn LLP.

Into this new world, Sheri L. Orlowitz’s 30-plus-year experience as an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, turn-around expert, board director, corporate leader, attorney and former federal prosecutor make her uniquely qualified not only to lead companies in the cannabis industry but to advise regulators and identify best in class cannabis companies. Few can match her track record of success.

Is cannabidiol (CBD) best suited for food? Or as a dietary supplement? Or gummies? Or more closely aligned with alcohol or tobacco? And how should a federal regulatory body consider the science, which is lagging, to guide regulations for products containing CBD, which are already sold from coast to coast? This “pickle” was one of many “challenges” that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Science Board and other officials wrestled with on Tuesday during a day-long meeting on “challenges in evaluating the safety of dietary supplement and food ingredients with predicted pharmacological activity, utilizing cannabinoids as a case study.” (Cannabinoids are compounds derived from the cannabis plant, like THC and CBD.)

A bipartisan push to provide military veterans with access to medical marijuana is underway again, with the sponsors of a reform proposal circulating a letter to congressional colleagues on Wednesday asking them to support the legislation, which they plan to introduce in Congress soon.

Cannabis Insider took a deep dive into some of the prickly questions that beg to be answered and called on just the right trio of women to do that: Natalie Papillon of the Last Prisoner Project (LPP), Christine De La Rosa of The People's Ecosystem and Sarah Chase, executive director of the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR)

"Each island has distinctly different rules,” she said. “This is because they are isolated islands and there is always a fear of inter-island contamination due to substances, invasive species, etc, etc. So, Hawaii tends to be under a greater lens of scrutiny from a public health standpoint because of the nature of its basic geographic makeup.”

Join the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation and US Cannabis Council for an intimate conversation with Michael Hausfeld and Steve Gelsi about what every cannabis executive should know about antitrust law in our current environment of consolidation, including how to identify, and avoid anti-competitive practices.

Is cannabidiol (CBD) best suited for food? Or as a dietary supplement? Or gummies? Or more closely aligned with alcohol or tobacco? And how should a federal regulatory body consider the science, which is lagging, to guide regulations for products containing CBD, which are already sold from coast to coast? This “pickle” was one of many “challenges” that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Science Board and other officials wrestled with on Tuesday during a day-long meeting on “challenges in evaluating the safety of dietary supplement and food ingredients with predicted pharmacological activity, utilizing cannabinoids as a case study.” (Cannabinoids are compounds derived from the cannabis plant, like THC and CBD.)

NY wants to create the most equitable cannabis industry in the US. Why are the state’s own equity positions vacant? New York regulators have been hard at work constructing a recreational cannabis industry built on a bedrock of equity and restorative justice, yet key positions focused on those progressive promises remain unfilled within the Office of Cannabis Management. The OCM’s chief equity officer position, as well as a 13-member advisory board meant to aid the OCM and Cannabis Control Board, are vacant more than eights months after the agencies held their first public meeting.

Cannabis legalization continues to spread across the country, and federal reform seems to be right around the corner. With this comes a crucial need for lawmakers, government agencies, and leaders from all industries, not just cannabis, to join forces to ensure a solid foundation is set to set the space up for long-term success. The Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR) is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit seeking to unite these groups with the overall goals of de-stigmatization, normalization, and legitimization of cannabis. The CFCR offers scientific expertise on cannabinoids while at the same time advocating for small business, social justice and further research on these compounds as well as being the bridge to legitimization. Learn more about the organization’s mission, the important work it’s doing, and how to get involved in this exclusive Leafwire Q&A with CFCR Founder and Chair of the Board Sheri Orlowitz.

"..CFCR is urging immediate congressional spending on FDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services so officials can develop new, faster ways to evaluate compounds in cannabis, Chase said. “We call on Congress to ensure that the agency itself is adequately funded and staffed in order to do the work ahead.”

If you’re curious about cannabis or interested in the industry, an event happening in Westport may be for you. It’s called CannaCurious? Marketing, Regulations and Social Equity and helps answer questions for everyone from budding entrepreneurs to people interested in learning more for their own personal use. The American Marketing Association, Southern CT Chapter is hosting the event. Erika Alonso is the event moderator and also the co-founder and chief marketing officer of a technology company called Witi. She said it will offer something for everyone

Sarah Chase is the first Executive Director for the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR), a non-profit based in Washington, DC with a mission to assist the government, and specifically-federal regulatory agencies, to rethink, develop, and implement evidence-based cannabis regulations.

What's the Food and Drug Administration's impact on the cannabis industry? With consumer safety and public health at its absolute core, the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR) will use its upcoming May webinar to focus on the findings in a recent FDA report designed to ensure that regulations presently in place for approved drug products in the marketplace are consistent with regulations applicable to cannabis products for medical use.

A top staffer for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on Thursday about the path forward for a federal marijuana legalization bill and the prospects of passing incremental measures like cannabis banking reform in the interim.​

At an event hosted by the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR), Schumer’s chief counsel Reginald Babin said that “there is a bit more work to be done in terms of figuring out where the sweet spot is at least in the Senate in terms of what we can do this year.”

Two weeks ago, the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR) hosted a webinar called “The Endocannabinoid System: Implications for Research and Regulatory Science” that included Cassandra Taylor, a chemist at the FDA within the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), and Dan Mellon, the FDA’s Deputy Director for the Division of Pharmacology Toxicology for Neuroscience, among others. CFCR is a newly-formed national group focused on federal cannabis regulations.

CFCR Board Member and Senior Vice President of Public Polic at MJFF, Ted Thompson, JD is featured in the recent survey results recently published in Movement Disorders Clinical Practice

It is a common misconception that legalization is the end goal for the cannabis sector. Legalization is only the beginning. “As you're having conversations about legalization and what's working at the state level, what will work at the federal level, it is always imperative that you have a conversation about regulation at the same time, because that is really where the rubber meets the road,” Sarah Chase told Analytical Cannabis.

The movement to overhaul federal marijuana policy has gotten more crowded in recent years, with new trade associations, business groups, social justice activists and lobbyists joining calls to legalize the plant.

The collection of stakeholders also has become much more diverse.

Ever since Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis use about a decade ago, dozens of other states have followed in their footsteps. In fact, nearly half of the states in the country have recreational cannabis laws on the books now, which makes one curious as to where Florida is on cannabis legalization.

On Thursday, the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR) announced that Ted Thompson, JD, senior vice president for public policy at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), will join CFCR leadership as a member of their board of directors. Thompson brings over 25 years of experience in public policy, government relations, and nonprofit management.

While momentum for federal regulation of CBD stalled in 2021—like most non-COVID-19 items that were before lawmakers—many proponents of federal action to regulate hemp-derived extracts have cautious optimism about the coming year.

Cannabis companies look toward 2022 with plans to expand their businesses to legal markets in more states despite an expected lack of movement on the federal level to end cannabis prohibition.

As a whole, cannabis companies hope to see the New Year reverse their weak 2021 performance, even if the underlying business of legal weed has continued to pick up steam in the U.S.

The Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation has requested a meeting with the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address what the organization says is a public health crisis "unfolding with increasing severity" due to a federal reading of a rule that has "needlessly hamstrung" the regulation of cannabinoids.

A cannabis nonprofit group has requested a meeting with the top official of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and his staff to discuss regulation of hemp-based CBD. In a Dec. 12 letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, representatives of the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR) said it is crucial “to overcome a choke point” identified by FDA, which is limiting the agency from regulating cannabinoids low in THC.

Anyone who has been closely following the FDA’s work on CBD, and is hoping to legally use the cannabinoid in, say, beverages, knows that there is one major sticking point: the cannabis compound is already an FDA-approved drug.

As the first executive director of the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation, Sarah A. Chase sees her role as an information conduit that ensures all stakeholders understand the complicated nature of the cannabis industry.

CFCR hosted a webinar discussing the deep dive of the study and featured Vicki Seyfert-Margolis, Chairwoman for Science & Regulatory Affairs Committee for CFCR and former FDA adviser.

In an interview with Josh Radbod, Co-Founder & CEO of the PBC Conference, Orlowitz shares the importance and role of CFCR in the industry.

If legalization under Biden is not likely, a Cannabis Legalization Task Force and an Office of Cannabis Management which could move us intelligently and responsibly closer. Read full memo below.

Despite his evolving stance on criminal penalties for marijuana possession and his steps towards marijuana research, Biden has yet to endorse full legalization of the drug. While there is always hope, CFCR believes Biden might only go as far as to appoint a task force and they are among the recommendations we have made to the President.

Cannabis industry leaders are launching the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation.

The goal of this independent, tax-exempt nonprofit is to help cannabis become a mainstream consumer goods product by educating federal regulators, legislators and people from outside the industry.