FDA Sends Warnings to Three CBD Companies Over COVID-19 Frauds

In March, U.S. Attorney General William Barr instructed U.S. Attorneys to make the investigation and prosecution of coronavirus-related scams a priority, especially when it came to entities promoting false remedies for COVID-19 on the internet.

Cease and desist letters were sent to Indigo Naturals, Native Roots Hemp and CBD Online Store. The FDA ordered these companies to stop making statements linked to the coronavirus. In case they did not to observe the injunction, the FDA threatens legal actions, among which confiscation and sanctions.

According to the FDA, these three entities marketed CBD products that were unapproved and misbranded drugs, thus infringing the rules of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The Food and Drug Administration considers that the claims made on the companies’ websites, untruthfully represent these products as safe and/or effective for treating or preventing coronavirus infections.

The FDA’s position

In the letter to Indigo Naturals, the FDA mentions company statements insinuating that CBD has “both antibacterial and antiviral effects” and could work as an effective “Anti-Viral Agent For Coronavirus.”

The letter to Native Roots Hemp cited assertions the Wisconsin reseller made regarding a cannabis cultivar that would have the properties to hasten coronavirus recovery and that the brand’s soaps and immunity-boosting oils could be an aid against COVID-19.

The FDA affirms that California-based CBD Online Store made statements that recommended resorting to the the “powerful anti-inflammatory effects of CBD” to cure inflammation in the lungs caused by the coronavirus.

A quick buck for some, a huge loss for all

While remaining impartial on the reported matter, LeafReport openly condemns any scam or fraud or false claim made in regard to exploiting the potential of cannabinoids to fight the coronavirus epidemic. The science on the matter, as also as also GHmedical points out, is simply not sufficient to make any fact-based claim in favor of or against the use of cannabis as a cure for the virus. And, ultimately, every fraudulent claim made in regards to the health benefits and risks correlated to cannabis use, be it in regards to CBD or THC, would only yield one indisputably negative effect. Namely, a substantial loss of credibility, for the cannabis industry as a whole, in front of detractors, skeptics and policy-maker.