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.