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.
By City News Service
Dec 18, 2020
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Federal Trade Commission announced the first law enforcement crackdown on deceptive claims in the growing market for cannabidiol products this week, naming companies in Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties.
The FTC is taking action against the 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 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
Trump administration cracks down on claims that CBD can treat cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s
Updated Dec 17, 2020;
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There are all sorts of claims out there about CBD: It can cure cancer. It can protect against Alzheimer’s disease. It can treat autoimmune diseases and autism.
These and other claims about cannabidiol were advertised by companies that sell those products. And they all had one thing in common, according to the Federal Trade Commission: They were false.
The FTC announced on Thursday that it was penalizing six CBD companies for making such claims, including requiring some of them to pay more than $246,000 to the government from shares of their revenues.
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.
“It’s the Wild West out there!” How often have you heard that statement made about health claims for products containing CBD? But here’s the thing: It’s not the Wild West. In fact, health-related representations for CBD products are subject to the same established requirements of scientific substantiation the FTC has applied for decades to any advertised health claim. That’s the message of Operation CBDeceit, a law enforcement sweep challenging allegedly unproven representations that CBD products would treat diseases and serious medical conditions like cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and more.
In Operation CBDeceit, the FTC announced proposed settlements with six companies that marketed gummies, lozenges, oils, balms, and other products containing cannabidiol (CBD) to prevent or treat serious diseases and health conditions.