Consumer Advocates: CBD Treatment Being Falsely Sold As COVID-19 Cure

In times of crisis, there will always be those who try to profit off the panic.

In the most recent example of businesses trying to cash in on the pandemic, Law360 reports that state attorneys general (AGs) across the country have been asked to warn the public that cannabidiol, commonly called CBD, is not an effective treatment for COVID-19— no matter what the businesses selling it may claim.

According to the Washington Post, claims that CBD treatment can combat the novel coronavirus have been spread across social media by CBD sellers who have made similar statements in their advertising, as well.

Can CBD Treatment Cure COVID-19? No.

CBD treatment has long been touted as a kind of cure-all by those who sell it. According to Harvard Medical School, CBD treatment is commonly used to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, and some types of chronic pain. However, the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved use of the substance is to treat certain forms of childhood seizures. 

“The CBD hype is in a class by itself, as the misinformation for this cannabis-derived molecule exploded after one drug containing cannabidiol – or CBD – received Food and Drug Administration approval in 2018,” wrote C. Michael White, chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Connecticut, in a piece for National Interest, “CBD is neither a miracle or snake oil.”

If anything, according to the Washington Post, smoking or vaping CBD or other cannabis products would put a person more at risk from COVID-19, a sentiment repeated by the National Institutes of Health. 

CBD Companies’ False Claims

According to Law360, cannabidiol consumer advocacy group Consumers for Safe CBD has requested that state attorneys general begin warning citizens that CBD treatment does not cure COVID-19 and take action against CBD sellers who claim that it does. The group stressed that it’s an especially vulnerable time for consumers and that stemming the claims is imperative to public safety.

“At a time when Americans are looking for any hope and solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are increasingly concerned about the deceptive practices some marketers can, have, and will employ,” Consumers for Safe CBD wrote in an open letter to the AGs.

The group is also concerned that CBD sellers are not warning consumers about the possibility that the products contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana. Law360 reports that class action lawsuits making similar claims have been brought against CBD sellers and manufacturers. According to Consumers for Safe CBD, the prevalence of these lawsuits may be due to the lack of regulations on the product.

“Unfortunately, because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers CBD foods and supplements unlawful, these products are not subject to the same regulation and monitoring as other consumer goods,” the letter says. “As a result, CBD products are often marketed in ways that pose serious risks to consumers. Particularly as our states and communities work together to fight COVID-19, we know there is an increased risk of fraud and bad actors.”

So far, the FDA and a handful of state AGs have addressed several CBD manufacturers claiming CBD treatment can fight COVID-19. The New York Post reported that New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a cease-and-desist letter to Utah-based CBD manufacturer Finest Herbalist for advertising via emails, texts, and “bogus news sites” that its Pure Herbal Total Defense Immunity Blend can protect consumers from contracting COVID-19.

The FDA has also begun sending warning letters to CBD manufacturers making misleading claims that their CBD treatments prevent or treat COVID-19.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.