Direct-to-consumer CBD retailers Excite For Life and CBD Life UK have been pulled up by the ASA for suggesting CBD was suitable for consumption by children.
Both retailers were also found by the watchdog to have misleadingly claimed the recommended maximum consumption of CBD per day for adults was 70mg. Excite For Life also breached the ASA’s code by claiming CBD could help “balance the wellbeing of your child”.
On 25 April 2024, the ASA found two webpages on the CBD Life website discussing the suitability of CBD food products for children.
Under the subheading “can children take CBD gummies?” text stated “under current UK law, there is no age restriction on the consumption of CBD. Therefore, yes. Children can take the CBD gummies.”
Under the subheading “how many gummies should I eat?” text said “per FSA guidance we do not recommend consuming more than 70mg of CBD a day”.
The FSA’s guidance was changed in October 2023, with its recommended daily dosage intake cut to 10mg per day.
On the same date in April, the ASA found a video on the website of Excite For Life in which a woman described CBD as safe for children, and recommended starting children on a 10mg dosage. The woman also claimed UK safe level guidance was 70mg of CBD per day.
Below the video, text stated CBD was “a safe and natural way to help balance the wellbeing of your child”.
Three product pages on the Excite For Life website also made claims that CBD was suitable for children.
The ASA found all of the claims to be misleading, and said they must not appear again in their current form.
Both suppliers were told by the ASA not to make further claims that CBD was suitable or safe for consumption by children, or that the recommended maximum consumption of CBD per day for adults was 70mg. Excite For Life was told not to make general health claims unless accompanied by a specific authorised health claim.
The rulings formed “part of a wider piece of work on ads making claims that CBD (cannabidiol) is suitable for consumption by children” the ASA said.
Excite For Life had “immediately complied with the ASA’s directive to remove any references suggesting CBD for children from our website,” said director Rachael Wilson.
“This was done out of respect for regulatory guidance, despite the feedback we’ve received from parents who have found it beneficial under careful, responsible administration,” Wilson said.
The retailer was “not aware of the most recent change reducing the recommendation to 10mg per day for adults,” Wilson said.
It was “important to note” that the 10mg limit was “a precautionary measure, not based on conclusive evidence that higher doses are unsafe”, Wilson claimed.
Excite For Life remained “committed to providing high-quality CBD products and ensuring that they are used safely and effectively”, she added.
CBD Life said the ASA ruling had “resulted from outdated guidance inadvertently remaining on our website.”
The guidance had since been removed, managing director Simon Dusher said.
The retailer had ”received numerous success stories over the years from customers who have shared their experiences using CBD for their children”, Dusher said. Despite this, it remained “committed to adhering to regulatory guidelines” and did not share these stories publicly, he said.
“CBDLife remains committed to following current marketing guidelines and will continue to evolve with the industry,” he added.
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