Hemp Regulation for Pharmacies

Ned Milenkovich, PharmD, JD, is chairman of the health care law practice at Much Shelist PC in Chicago, and former vice chairman of the Illinois State Board of Pharmacy. In this video, he discusses hemp regulation.

Ned Milenkovich, PharmD, JD: It’s variable, and it’s really state-by-state. Because it’s such a new concept for many states, I’m not sure that they have even thought about how hemp should be regulated, if at all. Many states permit it, so long as they are compliant with the federal farming bill. The DEA and the FDA have been defunded through Sen. Mitch McConnell’s omnibus bill year in and year out, so enforcement there is not necessarily going to happen, even though the DEA may have misgivings about it. The states either follow the DEA or have been more enlightened and have looked at this as a product that is not governed by the board of pharmacy, particularly if it’s over the counter, and sold in the front end of the store. It would be along the lines of any other medical food that would be available in a pharmacy, or in the front end of the pharmacy, and not necessarily by prescription.