The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday advanced the Fiscal Year 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill alongside a report directing the FDA to take enforcement action against cannabis manufacturers making unlawful therapeutic claims under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).
The report warns of a "proliferation" of non-FFDCA-compliant products falsely claiming to treat serious conditions including COVID-19 and cancer, and notes such products may also contain harmful contaminants. It expects FDA to "continue and increase" existing enforcement efforts.
A separate section raises concern that no cannabinoid is approved as a food additive, noting FDA has issued over 110 warning letters to firms marketing cannabinoid-containing food products since 2018. The committee encourages FDA to coordinate enforcement with other federal agencies and state partners.
On hemp, the report urges USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to conduct biotechnology and genomics research into hemp's genetic production and quality traits. It also encourages USDA to identify programs—such as Value-Added Producer Grants and the Business and Industry Loan Program—supporting fiber crops including hemp, cotton, and flax, and requests a briefing within 180 days of enactment. The bill includes a rider prohibiting federal interference with state hemp programs under the Agricultural Act of 2014, the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, and the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.
The report encourages FDA and the Department of Defense to collaborate on psychedelic clinical trials and public-private research partnerships for therapeutic purposes. On kratom, the committee cites a Single Ascending Dose (SAD) safety study finding no serious adverse effects and urges FDA to reconsider its import alerts on the plant.
Members approved an amendment to the report directing FDA to establish action levels for opiate alkaloids in poppy seeds and pursue enforcement, citing concerns over positive drug tests, addiction, overdose, and deaths from contaminated imported poppy seeds.
The committee's action comes days after the Trump administration announced it is moving forward with federal marijuana rescheduling. A separate appropriations subcommittee is weighing a bill that would block that rescheduling. President Trump also signed an executive order this month to expand and expedite psychedelic research, and several pending efforts on Capitol Hill aim to delay or alter a law that would federally recriminalize hemp THC products later this year.
