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America’s CBD Boom: Brazen Claims, Fake Products, Regulatory Scrutiny

While the trendy cannabis compound is generally believed to be safe, scant research has been conducted on its medical benefits. 

An attendee browses hemp oil skin care products at the Chanv booth at the Montreal Cannabis Expo in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. 

Photographer: Christinne Muschi/Bloomberg

Got arthritis? Dry skin? Menstrual cramps? Trouble sleeping or feeling stressed? The CBD industry claims it has the cure for you.

Such assertions are becoming increasingly common—and brazen—as the cannabis compound commonly known as CBD proliferates in drinks, baked goods, tinctures, body lotions and even bath salts. To some, the hype echoes 19th-century snake oil advertisements that promised to cure “all aches and pains!”