Mark Stermer, CEO

Buyer Beware!

Topic

Recreational, Regulations, Statistics

Summary of piece

The legalization of CBD in the U.S. in 2018 has brought about a large number of online merchants who are abusing the convenience of e-commerce to mislead and misdirect consumers with false claims. CBD is regulated in Canada under the Cannabis Act. Health Canada oversees the production of cannabis products including CBD-containing products. In October 2019, Navaya applied for its production, processing and medical sales license for cannabis.

Excerpts

“But many of those are selling illegal product formats, selling into jurisdictions that don’t allow it, making unproven claims, or some combination of the three. Of the 300 websites studied, 45% included impermissible claims that their products can treat serious diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and clinical depression.”

Re:Mark

With the very rare introduction of a completely new market, such as what’s happened and is continuing to happen with cannabis in Canada and around the world, it’s understandable that there’s also an abundance of overly aggressive and, frankly, reckless players hoping to capture a slice of the pie – stooping to false claims that could have devastating consequences. Regulations and controls are critical to ensuring CBD and cannabis products remain safe for consumers. Do not be naïve or let anyone you know be naïve.

The rules and regulations set forth by Health Canada guide us – and ensure the best possible protection for the consumer – be it medicinal or recreational. These rules apply to the online market as well.

Results from this LegitScript research in the United States indicates that 98% of US online retailers were not compliant with regulations. The non-compliance ranges from false claims to CBD products with 18.5 times the allowed amount of lead hidden within an ingestible oil product.

Together, let’s make sure this stops as soon as possible and, of course, does not spill over into Canada.

Link to piece: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/it-s-caveat-emptor-for-online-cbd-shoppers-1.1334428