Retail Momentum Gathers for CBD Topicals While FDA Decides Its Direction

Hemp-derived CBD is all the rage right now, even as confusion and illegality abound. Prompted by the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp and hemp derivatives like CBD, investors and entrepreneurs have been scrambling to capitalize on the increasingly popular substance. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has tried its regulatory best to pump the breaks on the phenomenon by asserting its authority and cracking down on illicit sales of CBD supplements.

• In March, CVS and Walgreens became the first national retailers to announce that they were peddling CBD creams, patches, and sprays in their stores.
• For now, corporate retailers’ selling CBD-infused beauty and skin-care products brings far less legal jeopardy and exposure to liability, which explains their choices in stocking such types of products first.
• Perhaps the biggest adopter of CBD topicals yet is the organic grocery chain Whole Foods.

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