Shortly after the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, members of our team were approached by individuals and companies hungry to jump into the cannabis industry, seeking advice about how to mitigate risk and legally cash-in on the booming CBD industry.

While the Farm Bill was unquestionably the first step in opening the domestic CBD marketplace – that’s all it was – the first step.  Not only did the Farm Bill fail to legalize CBD across the board, but it did nothing in terms of actually creating a regulatory framework or defining industry safety and quality standards.  Clearly, there was an industry void which is why the CBD Association (CBDA) was created.

The first thing any successful organization does is conduct an audit.  In this case, we audited the CBD industry and its players.  We spent 2019 meeting and listening to industry and scientific leaders, government officials, and other experts to learn exactly what companies who wanted to get into the CBD and cannabis-derivates industry needed to do not only to survive but to thrive during this regulatory uncertainty.

We were so impressed with these experts that we added many of these highly credentialled individuals to our team of advisors.  We also developed strategic partnerships with internationally renowned scientific and verification professionals.

What the audit found was really quite astonishing.  The very few associations who were established to help guide companies in the CBD and cannabinoid world for the benefit of its members had very little practical experience or understanding about how to successfully run a trade association – let alone a global trade association.  Few understood how the federal government or the state legislatures worked and lacked an appreciation for the need for effective advocacy and public education.

Many of these associations did not seem to know the right questions to ask – let alone whom to ask these questions.  Not only was there a lack of industry leadership, but there also wasn’t a knowledgeable and respected voice with the single mission to advocate for the creation of uniform regulation and industry standards.  It’s no wonder that nothing has changed at the federal level since the passage of the Farm Bill in 2018.

Additionally, there wasn’t an association or group offering ancillary business services for its membership, such as banking and liability insurance.  Although offering these corresponding services has monumental regulatory requirements in their own right.

CBDA was created to fill all of these gaps and offer its members the services that are needed to successfully navigate the legislative and regulatory worlds – both internationally and at the state and local levels.  To that end, CBDA created both an international arm and a federation of state affiliates to aid in the development of a fluid, regulatory framework across all levels of government.

Given the patchwork quilt of international, federal and state regulations, CBDA developed a comprehensive, user-friendly compendium of current laws and regulations for the 50 states, plus the federal government and the District of Columbia for the purpose of helping member companies mitigate risk and navigate the morass of rules and regulations that make up today’s uncertain landscape.  This compendium is updated as developments occur.

Similarly, CBDA is developing a legislative compendium allowing members to stay abreast of ongoing legislation at the federal and state levels.  This offers CBDA members the ability to act proactively by participating in the legislative and rulemaking process before policies are enacted.

Most importantly, CBDA is developing a partnership with a world-class, validated verification standards company for the purpose of providing members with a trademarked logo to affix to products letting consumers know the products they purchase are safe and manufactured from reliable and trustworthy sources.

CBDA is only as good as the people who run it. That is why we have assembled a management team with decades of experience and a proven track record of political, government and regulatory success.  In fact, the CBDA team has successfully overseen campaigns and programs for some of the largest, and most successful trade associations in the world.  We have won some of the biggest battles pioneering grassroots lobbying techniques to leverage support to win legislative and regulatory clashes. Most importantly, the CBDA team personally knows the regulators and administrators who are determining your company’s future and can actually get them on the phone.

While there are dietary supplement associations and other ancillary associations attempting to carve a spot in the CBD space, we welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively.  But unlike our dietary supplement and consumer goods colleagues, CBDA is structured vertically and we are laser-focused on one thing, and one thing only; the advancement of the CBD and cannabinoid industries worldwide.  We aren’t hampered by other interests or outcomes.  We have one outcome and one interest.

And now, having spent the invaluable time and resources to structure a trade association that works solely for the CBD and cannabinoid industries, and having brought in players who know how to effectively manage and operate a national federated global trade association, we are pleased to officially launch the CBD Association (CBDA).

CBDA is the only trade association established to holistically promote CBD and other cannabis-derived products worldwide. We are dedicated to representing every link in the CBD supply chain. Whether you are a grower, processor, manufacturer, brand owner, or retailer, CBDA was formed to ensure industry leaders like you have a seat and voice at the table.

We encourage you to review our new website to learn more about the exciting and impactful services we are poised to immediately provide our members. We encourage you to become a member and take advantage of the many services CBDA provides.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at membership@cbdassoc.org.

Until now, no other association has been able to provide the CBD and cannabinoid industries with the access and expertise it needs to succeed in the yet defined terrain of the cannabis marketplace.  The regulatory structure that will govern our industry for the next several decades will be determined in the upcoming years.

If you want to control your destiny and have a voice in how you will be regulated and ultimately succeed, now is the time to join CBDA.  We want to be your strategic business development partner helping your company reach new heights as the industry grows from the millions to the billions of dollars.