Editorial credit: Felix Lipov / Shutterstock.com According to a Federal Trade Commission official, settlements in a law enforcement sweep against CBD marketers send a clear message to the growing sector: Don’t make spurious health claims that are unsupported by medical science.
A handful of marketers of CBD products have agreed to each pay tens of thousands of dollars to the Federal Trade Commission after they were charged with making deceptive claims.
Dubbed “Operation CBDeceit,” the sweep of actions against six sellers of CBD-containing products highlights “the first law enforcement crackdown on deceptive claims” in the CBD market, according to the government agency in a Dec. 17 news release. The sweep also reflects the FTC’s ongoing efforts to protect consumers from deceptive, false and misleading health claims in advertisements on websites and via social media.
Andrew Smith, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection on Thursday, December 17, 2020.
The Federal Trade Commission today announced the first law enforcement crackdown on deceptive claims in the growing market for cannabidiol (CBD) products. The FTC is taking action against six sellers of CBD-containing products for allegedly making a wide range of scientifically unsupported claims about their ability to treat serious health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, and others.
The FTC is requiring each of the companies, and individuals behind them, to stop making such unsupported health claims immediately, and several will pay monetary judgments to the agency. The orders settling the FTC’s complaints also bar the respondents from similar deceptive advertising in the future, and require that they have scientific evidence to support any health claims they make for CBD and other products.