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NC Agriculture Dept Seeks To Clarify CBD Rules

Nick de la Canal
/
WFAE
CBD oil

The North Carolina Agriculture Department is trying to educate manufacturers and sellers of products containing cannabidiol or CBD oil. The department is sending out letters next week explaining what is legal. 

Joe Reardon, assistant commissioner with the department’s consumer protection bureau, says the Food and Drug Administration considers CBD a drug. And since state laws mirror federal laws, CBD can’t be legally added to human or animal food for sale. 

Related: North Carolina's CBD Industry Is Blooming, But Legality Remains Hazy

Reardon says people selling products with CBD can’t make health claims and failure to comply with this rule could result in product seizures.

The department will take an "educate before regulate" approach and recognizes there’s confusion among retailers, says Reardon. 

According to state law, it's illegal for anyone to possess it unless they have intractable epilepsy.