CBD has become known throughout the world as a plant with unique properties, which has been found to assist in the treatment of numerous medical conditions—but some CBD companies boast unproven claims about its effectiveness. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) officially announced on December 17 that it will be taking a stronger stance on enforcing incorrect or misleading claims about certain CBD products.
Known as “Operation CBDeceit,” the FTC’s goal is to track down “deceptive” claims that are not supported by science. Companies making such claims may have to pay a fee, especially if they’re claiming that their CBD products can work medical wonders.
The FTC mentioned in its initial release that it has already notified six sellers against making unsupported claims about their products. “The six settlements announced today send a clear message to the burgeoning CBD industry: Don’t make spurious health claims that are unsupported by medical science,” said Andrew Smith, director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a press release. “Otherwise, don’t be surprised if you hear from the FTC.”
So far, companies being examined are Bionatrol Health, LLC, Epichouse LLC (First Class Herbalist CBD), CBD Meds, Inc., HempmeCBD, Reef Industries, Inc. and Steves Distributing, LLC.
“The big news about Operation CBDeceit is that the sweep shouldn’t come as big news to members of the CBD industry,” a blog post from the FTC stated. “To date, the FTC has sent multiple letters to businesses warning them about making questionable disease-related representations for CBD products and has taken law enforcement action against others.”
The FTC also noted that it has been using the same approach to health claims of all kinds for over 50 years. Anyone who claims that “they sell can prevent, treat, or cure serious medical conditions” are held to the highest of standards.
