Pommy’s CBD-Infused Tea Chips

Pommy’s CBD-infused anti-inflammatory pomegranate tea chips are advertised on puresciencelab.com as a remedy for the pain “associated with chronic diseases,” including IBD and Crohn’s disease.

“I have had Crohn’s disease for over 30 years and this is the only product that eliminated my pain and inflammation,” Steve P. of Jupiter, Fla. claims in a written testimonial on the Pommy’s product page.

But the FDA prohibits supplements like Pommy’s tea chips, which are steeped in hot water to make a drink, from containing CBD, a cannabis compound that is also known as cannabidiol. Since early 2015, the agency has warned more than a dozen CBD companies making disease-treatment claims, including claims to treat cancer.

This may well be why the only mention of the advertised ingredient — CBD — is in the name of the product on the Pure Science Lab website. The poor quality of the image of the bag on the website renders the words on the label illegible, but a higher quality image on the company’s Facebook page shows that it’s actually a bag of Pommy’s regular pomegranate tea chips, which is to say, the non-cannabis-infused variety. So is CBD even in the product? TINA.org could not reach a company representative to even find out.

Also of note, Pommy’s product page waxes lyrical about the purported health benefits of pomegranate — “the best natural anti inflammatory.”

But remember, folks, marketing supplements as having the ability to treat, cure, alleviate the symptoms of, or prevent developing diseases and disorders is simply not permitted by law. If a supplement really could do all that, then it would be a drug subject to rigorous study and testing to gain FDA approval.

Find more of our coverage on marijuana claims here.