Marijuana doesn’t cure cancer. It has not been shown to somehow explode tumor cells or promote the growth of new brain cells, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.
The FDA warned four companies to stop making these unproven claims and to stop selling cannabis-based hemp and marijuana products that claim to treat cancer or any other medical condition.
“Substances that contain components of marijuana will be treated like any other products that make unproven claims to shrink cancer tumors,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.
Green Roads of Florida LLC, one of the companies identified in the FDA's letter, has since claimed in a press release that it was incorrectly named in the warning. The FDA has said that it stands by its original letter.
RELATED: FDA Hints It May Explore Marijuana Health Claims
The FDA says it is not trying to shut down the sales--just to stop sellers from making unproven medical claims.
“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.”
Medical marijuana is legal in 29 states, as well as in Guam and Puerto Rico. Studies have shown that it can have some benefits in reducing anxiety, counteracting some types of nausea, and that it may relieve some symptoms of glaucoma and multiple sclerosis.
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