Washington State Announces CBD Illegal, Store Owners Told To Stop Distributing CBD

Store owners will start pulling CBD gummies and drinks off of their shelves in Washington.

Unlike marijuana, CBD is not regulated under Washington state law. The assistant director of food safety at the state’s Department of Agriculture, Steve Fuller, says laws around CBD have been hazy. Now they’re trying to clarify that it’s actually never been legal to sell it as a food ingredient.

“All the vitamin shops and grocery stores and even CBD shops, they’re not allowed to sell food products that contain CBD as an ingredient,” says Fuller.

That may surprise the store owners who sell CBD infused gummies, soda, or lattes across Washington state.

The enforcement comes after the federal government passed the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized hemp production. It allows for farming of hemp for industrial purposes, but still does not give authorization to use CBD or other cannabinoids as a food ingredient.

“Fully acknowledging that the cat’s out of the bag and that those products are on the shelves already,” says Fuller.

“What we’re hoping to do is let folks know that’s not in compliance with the law and that many of them [are] either removing CBD as an ingredient or discontinuing distribution of the product.”

Soure: KUOW 94.9