Wellness claim

A wellness claim is a general marketing statement about supporting well-being, balance or daily routine that stops short of asserting any effect on a disease or symptom.

Statements of this kind are common on hemp products because they avoid the language that turns a product into an unapproved drug. They are still advertising, and consumer protection law requires that they be truthful and substantiated. The vaguer the statement, the harder it is to test, which is both its appeal to marketers and its weakness as information.

A reader can distinguish a wellness claim from a disease claim by asking whether a named condition or symptom is mentioned or implied; if so, it is not a wellness claim regardless of the soft wording. Testimonials, images and comparisons can convert one into the other. Cannabinoids have been studied for a range of effects on mood, sleep and discomfort, but the research is early, and a general wellness statement should not be read as a summary of that evidence.