American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) > News

AHPA issues Status Report and schedules webinar on hemp and CBD after Farm Bill passage

Farm bill includes provisions to legalize hemp

Congress passed yesterday a Farm Bill that includes historic provisions that will legalize hemp, the low THC cultivars of the Cannabis sativa L. species. This landmark legislation will change how hemp and hemp-derived products like cannabidiol (CBD) are regulated in the U.S. To help the herbal products industry understand the new regulatory landscape, AHPA has produced a Status Report and has scheduled a webinars to answer industry questions.

Lessons in herb safety from The Cleveland Clinic Chinese Herbal Medicine Program

Clinic reports only six mild adverse events since 2014

Nationally board-certified acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist at the Cleveland Clinic Galina Roofener shared safety data and lessons learned from the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute’s Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCHM) Program at her keynote delivered at the American Herbal Products Association’s (AHPA’s) 7th Annual Botanical Congress presented on Nov. 10 in Las Vegas at the SupplySide West trade show.

FDA Update by ODSP Director Steven Tave Presented at 7th Annual AHPA Botanical Congress

Tave outlines collaborations between FDA and supplement industry to ensure consumer safety

The American Herbal Products Association’s (AHPA’s) 7th Annual Botanical Congress featured a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) update by Steven Tave, FDA’s Director of the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs (ODSP), who highlighted recent collaborations between the responsible supplement industry and FDA toward the shared goal of a well-regulated dietary supplement market.

Dietary Supplement Trade Associations Warn Consumers of Dangerous Substance Illegally Posing as a Dietary Supplement

Supplement industry sounds the alarm about the dangers of “phenibut,” a substance being illegally marketed in products fraudulently labeled as dietary supplements

Developed and used as a drug in the former Soviet Union for its supposed brain-enhancing properties, phenibut is not approved as a drug in the United States, nor does it meet the regulatory requirements to be sold in, or as, a dietary supplement. The ingredient should be considered dangerous, and has been associated with potentially serious side effects and great risk for addiction.

AHPA corrects JAMA article that misidentifies illegal drugs as dietary supplements

Products adulterated with undeclared drugs are not dietary supplements

In a letter to the editor submitted to JAMA Open Network, American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) President Michael McGuffin stressed that the herbal products industry shares concerns about unapproved drugs masquerading as dietary supplements, as outlined in a recent article, but also highlighted that the authors mislead readers by failing to make a clear distinction between unlawful, misbranded drugs and legal dietary supplements.

AHPA launches sustainability subcommittee, formalizing ongoing efforts

Subcommittee to further AHPA’s ongoing efforts to ensure sustainable supplies of valuable botanicals

AHPA's Botanical Raw Materials Committee has launched a Sustainability Subcommittee to further AHPA’s ongoing efforts to ensure sustainable supplies of valuable botanicals. The subcommittee will be a vehicle for increasing awareness of sustainability issues and best practices, provide a forum to discuss and develop industry-wide standards, and promote existing sustainability initiatives throughout the industry.

Arizona Board of Pharmacy reportedly considers most dietary supplements to be nonprescription drugs

Board is pushing supplement companies that sell in the state to register as "wholesaler of nonprescription drugs"

The Arizona State Board of Pharmacy recently began interpreting its authority in a manner that implies that virtually every company that manufacturers or sells dietary supplements in the state will need to register as a nonprescription drug facility. If the board is successful and persistent in this approach, it could significantly disrupt dietary supplement business in the state.

AHPA requests pullulan be allowed in dietary supplement products labeled as organic

AHPA supports petition submitted by the Organic Trade Association (OTA) to request that pullulan be added to the National List

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) submitted comments yesterday to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to request that pullulan continue to be allowed to be used in encapsulated herbs marketed as “made with organic [specified ingredients or food group(s)]” under the National Organic Program (NOP).

AHPA President attends London seminar on herbal product quality

McGuffin emphasizes the individual company’s role in ensuring quality

AHPA President Michael McGuffin presented at a seminar sponsored jointly today in London, England by Health Food Manufacturers’ Association (HFMA) and British Herbal Medicine Association (BHMA), titled Maintaining High Quality Standards in Herbal Products.

Hemp industry leaders urge Farm Bill conferees to modify and support Farm Bill provision to legalize U.S. hemp farming

Provision to ban drug felons from participating in hemp production should be removed

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Leading hemp industry advocates collaborated to urge Farm Bill conferees to finalize and pass the Farm Bill to modify and support a provision that would legalize hemp farming in the U.S.

AHPA in the News