Senate advances CBD regulation bill to address public-safety concerns, seeks DEA waiver for medicinal use

The Utah Senate on Feb. 21 advanced second-substitute Senate Bill 130, a measure to regulate hemp-grade cannabidiol (CBD) products sold in retail outlets and to create a pathway for medicinal-grade CBD to be prescribed and dispensed through pharmacies if a federal waiver is granted.

Sen. Vickers, who led floor discussion, said the bill directs the Department of Agriculture to register manufacturers and distributors of hemp-grade CBD, charge a registration fee to support product testing, and create a system to test retail products so consumers can know what they contain. "We need to rein that in," Vickers said, citing calls to poison control and instances of adulterated products. The bill also includes a separate waiver process requesting federal permission from the Drug Enforcement Administration to allow certain medicinal CBD products to be dispensed through pharmacies with physician prescriptions and recorded in the controlled substances database.

During questioning Sen. Buxton and Sen. Dayton pressed the sponsor on federal enforcement risk and how passage would change retail availability. Vickers acknowledged federal law currently classifies certain cannabinoids as controlled substances but said federal enforcement has been uneven; he described the bill as addressing public-safety risks from untested products sold in vape shops, retailers and large chains. On whether passage would place medicinal CBD in pharmacies, Vickers said that would occur only if the federal DEA waiver is granted.

After floor discussion the Senate moved and passed the second substitute on a roll-call vote. The measure combines a short-term public-safety regulatory framework with a longer-term federal-waiver pathway for medically prescribed CBD products.