The US Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on companies it says are making unsubstantiated claims that certain products made from marijuana can cure cancer.

 

This week, the agency responsible for policing the American food and drug market issued warning letters to four companies that are "illegally selling products online that claim to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure cancer without evidence to support these outcomes." It said in a statement, "The illegally sold products allegedly contain cannabidiol (CBD), a component of the marijuana plant that is not FDA approved in any drug product for any indication."

 

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in the statement, "We don't let companies market products that deliberately prey on sick people with baseless claims that their substance can shrink or cure cancer and we're not going to look the other way on enforcing these principles when it comes to marijuana-containing products."

 

The companies that received the warning letters are required by law to respond within 15 working days, indicating what steps they have -- or will -- take to address the FDA's concerns.

 

"Failure to promptly correct these violations may result in legal action without further notice, including, without limitation, seizure and injunction," each of the four letters warned.