The growing popularity of products containing CBD, the non-psychoactive component of marijuana, has alarmed public health officials wary about false marketing claims these products are a panacea for many ailments—from anxiety and acne to Alzheimer’s.
Now, the Federal Trade Commission is taking action to stop a California firm from selling three CBD supplements as effective cancer treatments, without citing any clinical or scientific evidence. The company, Whole Leaf, said the products were proven to reduce inflammation and minimize the way cancer cells manipulate other cells—a false claim, as there is no CBD product that is considered a cancer treatment, the FTC complaint noted. Increasingly, the FTC and Federal Drug Administration are cracking down on the booming CBD market—which is rife with fraudulent marketing and exaggerated claims concerning the product’s powers—and providing much needed scrutiny.
And finally, as more states legalize medical and recreational marijuana, homeowners are up in arms about the pungent smell of pot wafting over from their neighbor’s property. Complaints to homeowner associations and lawsuits have followed, pitting pro-pot residents against those who dislike the odor. The fast pace of legalization, however, has left a patchwork of laws and regulations that makes it difficult to resolve this knotty issue.