In this episode, we speak with Jonathan Havens, an attorney with Saul Ewing Arnstein and Lehr, based in Baltimore, Maryland. Jonathan has a unique background, he started his legal career with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and now specializes in providing legal advice to companies on how to navigate the complex and ever-changing cannabis, hemp, and CBD regulatory environment. 

In this episode, we explore current regulations, how the FDA and FTC are enforcing them, and how companies can avoid the regulatory agencies’ crosshairs. We also discuss how the industry can push the Federal Government for change to make operating conditions more business-friendly. 

Highlights:

• Current Federal regulations, why they exist, and the importance of ingestible vs non-ingestible CBD products
• The roles of the FDA and FTC in enforcing current regulations
• How these agencies are currently enforcing regulations and how to avoid their warning letters and fines
• How Delta-8 is likely to be viewed by the regulatory agencies 
• The 0.3% THC limit and how this is regulated by the FDA

Links of Interest:

• Jonathan Havens on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-havens-9237831 
• Delta-8: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol 
• H.R.841 - legalization of CBD for use as an ingestible supplement: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/841  
• H.R.1595 - Secure And Fair Enforcement Banking Act of 2019: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1595/text