This week I moderated a webinar at the Food & Drug Law Institute (FDLI) on the regulation of cannabis-derived products. This is a product & policy area that’s evolving as I type. Just this week, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb wrote an op-ed acknowledging the consumer “craze” for products with CBD in them and encouraging FDA to regulate these products in a manner that generally allows them to stay on the market in the mean time.

It is challenging, though, to put news like this into context if you don’t know the difference between cannabis, hemp, marijuana, and CBD (which is short for “Cannabidiol”) or who regulates them, and under what kind of framework. This issue area is notable for the number of government actors that are in the mix (e.g., foreign governments, and federal, state, and local regulators). In the federal executive branch alone, DOJ (especially DEA), USDA, FDA, and NIH all play major roles.

Our webinar gives newcomers a crash course on definitions, the brain science of cannabis, and the major U.S. regulators and their frameworks, as well as a brief treatment of international and state/local considerations. It’s a good place to start if you need an orientation into this fascinating and rapidly evolving area. Here are the presenters:

Will Garvin, Shareholder, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
Aidan Hampson, Special Content Expert Cannabis, National Institute on Drug Abuse (part of NIH)
Jonathan Havens, Partner, Chair of Food & Beverage Practice, Co-Chair of Cannabis Law Practice, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP
Larry Houck, Director, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, PC
Moderated by Bridget Dooling, Research Professor, George Washington University

Come to this issue area for its relevance to pop culture, but stay for the regulatory puzzles that lie within. A recording is available for a fee ($99 for FDLI members, $199 for non-members) via FDLI’s website.