Drug claim

A drug claim is any labeling or marketing statement asserting that a product will diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent a disease or its symptoms.

Under federal law, the intended use of a product is decided partly by what its seller says about it. A statement that a product addresses a named condition, or an implied one made through testimonials, images or comparisons to medicines, can turn an ordinary product into an unapproved drug in the eyes of regulators. Such claims are permitted only for products that have gone through the drug approval process.

Most warning letters sent to CBD sellers concern this category rather than product safety, and they often cite website copy, social media and customer testimonials as well as labels. For a reader, the practical point is that a company making disease claims about a hemp product is either misinformed or ignoring the rules, which is a poor sign for its other statements. Only one purified CBD medicine has been approved by the FDA, and its approved uses do not transfer to consumer products.