Curaleaf removes medical claims for CBD products, deletes hemp blog after FDA warning

A pedestrian walks past a Curaleaf store in New York.Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg

In response to a warning from federal regulators this week, one of the country’s largest cannabis companies removed social media posts and articles claiming that its CBD products can be used to treat medical conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic pain, anxiety, and more.

The company announced Friday they had “addressed the issues raised” by the US Food and Drug Administration’s warning to stop marketing CBD products with unfounded medical claims. The agency on Tuesday pointed to several social media posts and a handful of articles on the company’s website with headlines like: “How to Use CBD Oil for Anxiety” and “CBD Benefits: Top 5 Research-Backed Benefits of CBD.”

The FDA also highlighted four products that it deemed “unapproved new drugs sold in violation” of federal regulations: the company’s CBD lotion, CBD pain-relief patch, CBD tincture, and CBD disposable vape pen.

The agency added that Curaleaf’s animal CBD products — sold under the brand “Bido CBD for Pets” — are also considered to be “unapproved new animal drugs that are unsafe.”

In a statement Friday, Curaleaf said that “a number of the products mentioned in the FDA letter had previously been discontinued.”

A spokeswoman for Curaleaf said both the vape pen and soft-gel capsule products had already been discontinued prior to the FDA warning.

On Friday, only topicals were available for purchase on the company’s hemp website, and CBD drops and cookies for pets were still available.

Curaleaf also said it had deleted the blog and social media posts in question. The company said that moving forward, it will “continue to work diligently to ensure that information it provides to consumers on its website and social media platforms are fully compliant with FDA requirements,” according to a statement.

“Our industry needs, wants and appreciates the work the FDA is doing to ensure there is regulation and compliance in the CBD marketplace,” Curaleaf CEO Joseph Lusardi said in the statement. “We care deeply about our customers and making a difference in our industry. Curaleaf is committed to being an ethical and responsible company and working with the FDA to be a leader in our industry, setting the standards and guidelines to best service our customers and the communities we serve.”

Hemp became federally legal with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, but the use of CBD, a non-psychoactive compound found in both hemp and marijuana, has been widely debated. The FDA has publicly and repeatedly said that CBD is not approved to be added in foods, or in products that make medical or therapeutic claims. Some states, Massachusetts included, have reiterated that sentiment.