Accurate and informative labeling of CBD products is a critical public health issue

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Mar 25 2020

The need for accurate and informative labeling of hemp and hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products is a critical public health issue. Despite CBD being a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drug, it is increasingly being added to food, beverages, and nutritional supplements, often with misleading labeling or marketing claims, according to an article published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

Jamie Corron ND, MPH, The Center for Medical Cannabis Education (Del Mar, CA) and colleagues coauthored the article entitled "Labeling of Cannabidiol Products: A Public Health Perspective." Accurate and informative labeling can help protect consumers from untruthful or unsubstantiated claims and from unallowed drug claims that may lead them to forego treatments supported by the medical evidence. Other risks include the failure to include CBD on a label, or its correct amount. The article by Corron et al. helps manufacturers understand the basic framework for FDA labeling and marketing regulations.

Editor-in-Chief Daniele Piomelli, PhD, University of California-Irvine, School of Medicine, states:

Good public health starts with good public health information. Now that products containing CBD have gained immense popularity, often undeservedly, clear and truthful labeling has become a must."