One of the goals of Kannaway is to help people from all over the world have the opportunity to enjoy our wonderful products, and to be to succeed with their own home-based business. To ensure this is possible for everyone involved with Kannaway, we as a company, as well as a community, have the highest standards of excellence, integrity and conformity with all local and national regulations. Every industry has laws, rules and guidelines which they must agree to abide by, in order to best serve their customers and consumers. Whether it is providing goods, services or a combination of either, companies like Kannaway in the direct selling industry follow guidelines set by different governmental agencies.
The FDA’s job, very broadly, is to ensure the safety of consumer food and drug products and to make sure that there are no claims of effectiveness of a given product without their explicit approval. In general, the FDA regulates Food, including dietary supplements, food additives and other food products, Cosmetics, including skin moisturizers and cleansers, as well as Veterinary products, including pet foods.
The FTC’s job, is to regulate many types of advertising that take place today. The FTC role is to protect consumers by stopping unfair, deceptive or fraudulent practices in the marketplace; something which is good for all professional companies and genuine consumers. Governmental agencies, like the FDA and FTC, take their role very seriously, and have been known to be very strict when protecting consumers. Sometimes their action may only result in a warning letter to a company involved, however they have also been known to fine companies monetarily, sometimes by millions of dollars and they have even been known to shut company’s down.
Because of our goal, we follow the FDA’s and FTC’s guidelines with strict adherence. This is what is not only best for the company, but also for our customers and our Brand Ambassadors. Because of this, it means Kannaway has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to infractions of these guidelines. Any infraction of these rules will result in immediate termination.
Here’s why: What you say doesn’t only affect you, but affects everyone in the company and the company as a whole. One wrong word to the wrong person could shut down the business without warning. For example: CBD, the natural compound found in hemp oil, is not recognized for health benefits by the FDA. This means as a food, or dietary supplement, we cannot talk about any of the possible health benefits of CBD, whatsoever. That may seem strict, however we always want to stay 100% compliant with the FDA at all times.
Do not give information about one customer to another. Do not mention other customers’ stories or their use of the products to other customers. For example, you may not say things like, “I have several cancer patients that I’m working with” or “My favorite client has MS and is using our products and loves them.” Statements like these breach HIPAA confidentiality and border on making medical claims.
Which brings up the second and most important rule:
This is the number one rule you must abide by. You may never, ever talk about anything related to health and CBD to Customers. This is the case whether it is in written communications, on your personal social media accounts, and in any public or private arena in which you are representing the company. The FDA and FTC take unlicensed medical claims, health claims, and quasi-medical advice very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that giving out medical or health-related advice or telling people that a product can, say, “cure epilepsy” could result in prison time (to you and possibly others) and a fine (to you specifically, the company, and others). At the very least, heavy fines and suspension of business may be levied by the FDA or FTC at any time and without warning. Some do’s and don’ts of talking about the product are on the following page:
DO refer to suggested use or suggested serving sizes |
DO NOT refer to or discuss "dosage" |
DO refer to overall health and wellness positively |
DO NOT use any customer testimonials not approved by the company. Testimonials are considered to be the same thing to the FDA as making a health claim |
DO suggest your customers conduct their own research |
DO NOT mention or refer to scientific studies or research AT ALL. This is classed as an associated claim. |
DO suggest they try Kannaway products and see for themselves what they think |
DO NOT suggest any specific search terms with linking words (example: “CBD and cancer” or “CBD and epilepsy”). |
Examples of improper claim statements include:
That includes research, journals, magazines, TV specials, etc. For example, saying things like “If you saw Dr. Gupta’s special on CNN…” is NOT ALLOWED.
Bending or breaking the rules is never acceptable to FDA and FTC, nor is that acceptable to us. The “if you do your own research, there’s a lot of information out there” thing can seem really repetitive, but we cannot skirt laws and regulations. You have to be vague because of federal law, not because we don’t want you to make a sale or help someone in need!
While other supplement and natural product companies may bend the rules or push the envelope, Kannaway follows a strict compliance policy due to the controversial nature of CBD hemp oil. Here some basic guidelines that all Brand Ambassadors must follow:
You absolutely cannot talk about the health or medical effects of CBD. Ever. If a customer is asking if our products can help their ailment, here’s what you say: “I cannot give you medical advice, as I am not a doctor. But I suggest you conduct your own research and speak to your healthcare practitioner about your concerns.” Here is some guidance on do’s and don’ts:
DO say “Our products are considered foods or nutritional supplements. Everyone is different, and so we encourage you to try what you feel comfortable with and see how it works for you.” |
DO NOT refer to “Treatments” or “Dosage”, and never, ever say the word “CANCER”. EVER. Period. |
DO refer to people as customers |
DO NOT use the word “patient” |
DO refer them to the product information for suggested use |
DO NOT give dosage information or guidance. We have suggested serving sizes, and products that have varying amounts of CBD |
DO encourage your customers to do their own research on the term/bodily function/bodily process they are curious about |
DO NOT TALK SPECIFICS ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS. Our products are considered food or nutritional supplements. They are not for specific ailments. They are not drugs |
DO REMEMBER we are the leading company that has standardized, high quality, CBD hemp oil products available nationwide. That’s what makes us different from anyone else. The cannabis industry has notoriously inconsistent and hypocritical standards. Our founders spent years and millions of dollars to do this right, so that our customers can have the peace of mind they won’t find from any other vendors. |
DO NOT lead customers to a conclusion! A “DISCLAIMER” IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE excuse to say whatever you like. Saying things like “Just between you and me” or “This is just my opinion” or “I know someone who’s been cured of epilepsy, but the FDA restricts me on what I can say” or “this is off the record…” and variations of these themes are still making claims. |
If you have a customer asking specifically about certain products, here are some suggestions for what you can say, and some things you absolutely cannot say:
DO “Leaves skin feeling refreshed, hydrated, nourished and radiant.” |
DO NOT “Cures Acne” or “Penetrates skin to cure damaged cells” |
DO “Made with sustainable hemp oil” |
DO NOT “soothes eczema, psoriasis, diaper rash, and burns” |
DO “First ever luxury beauty line featuring Bi-Bong herbal blends and CBD hemp oil |
DO NOT “Treats damaged skin” |
DO “full-spectrum, filtered CBD hemp oil, extracted from the hemp plant and packaged pure with no other ingredients or additives” |
DO NOT “The following are some of the many ailments CBD oil can potentially be therapeutic for…” |
DO “an excellent daily source of CBD, essential vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, fiber and protein, terpenes, flavonoids, and other trace cannabinoids.” |
DO NOT “Excellent Results for a Traumatic Brain Injury or Epilepsy” |
DO “invigorates your system while promoting overall homeostasis” |
DO NOT “CBD may be effective in treating tumors from cancer” |
DO “formulated with more than 40 different superfood and nutrient dense ingredients” |
DO NOT “Contains Acai which is reported to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels in the normal range” |
DO “created using hemp protein and is infused with our proprietary Bi-Bong herbal blend“ |
DO NOT ”Made with Maca, which helps women with menstrual pain” |
DO “naturally sweetened with stevia for a pure, nutritious green flavor.” |
DO NOT use in management of obesity” |
DO “combines 100 mg of CBD” |
DO NOT “improves blood pressure” |
DO “made from hemp oil with sustainably sourced MCT oil” |
DO NOT “Scientific research by doctors shows that….” |
DO “flavored with organic terpenes for an all-natural botanical flavor.” |
DO NOT “Cannabis plant, enriched with CBD, can be used for treating diseases like…” |
We know this can all feel overwhelming, but know this is all in place to protect you first and foremost. You’re part of a new industry that’s helping thousands of people and has the potential to help millions more. Being compliant gives us the opportunity to bring CBD to the rest of the country and the world. We are hopeful that more reputable studies and increased acceptance of cannabis will push along FDA and FTC reviews in the near future. For now, however, we believe we have the greatest product in the world, we just have to be very careful how we talk about it!
After all of that heavy stuff about compliance and health claims, you should know that there are plenty of selling points that you can talk about that don’t involve making claims.
Here’s an important point about CBD from hemp – a point that’s crucial to why we’re in business. You may hear arguments that say that CBD from hemp is inferior, that it should come from cannabis grown for “medicinal purposes.” Here’s the truth on the matter:
We choose to get our CBD from hemp oil not only because hemp oil is a legal import –and therefore many millions more people can have access to CBD – but also because hemp is comprised of cannabinoid ratios that most closely approximate the ratios that are found when cannabis grows wild in nature. CBD is CBD and THC is THC – and hemp and marijuana are both cannabis, so you’re getting the same compounds no matter which plant they come from.
But, hemp is naturally low in THC and higher in CBD, and we feel this makes for the best hemp oil – instead of cloned, selectively-bred marijuana plants that have been altered to have abnormally high THC content.
Scientists, doctors, and the general public are learning more about CBD every day, and demand for CBD and other non-psychotropic cannabinoids is only increasing. Things have changed a lot since we put the first ever federally legal CBD hemp oil products on the market in 2013, and this is only the beginning for this booming new industry.
Our company’s founders established the first publicly-traded cannabis company in the world. They had the vision to create a whole new food and nutraceutical category with CBD, and foresaw a time when cannabis would be legal and cannabinoids would be part of everyday life in foods, multivitamins, and thousands of other products.
At the time, there was no way to get CBD legally in significant quantities. So they created the first legal pipeline of CBD from using hemp oil instead of marijuana. While our CBD hemp oil products were the first to market, we continue to innovate. Today, we remain the world’s largest supplier of legal CBD and work to bridge the gap between the marijuana and hemp industries.
Regardless of industry politics and evolving legislation, our goals remain unchanged: to elevate the hemp plant in the minds of the mainstream and to provide natural CBD hemp oil to anyone who wants it, anywhere in the USA and in over forty other countries as well.
We set ourselves apart from the current cannabis industry through unparalleled quality and availability. In an industry that is largely unregulated, we have already taken the steps necessary to ensure consumer trust and to create consistent, quality hemp oil products that have the most natural CBD in the world.
Our goal is to share the life-changing benefits of hemp-based cannabidiol (CBD) with every individual and family and empower you to do the same for your community. We believe that everyone deserves a life full of prosperity and personal wellness. Kannaway’s mission is to help our ambassadors build their own successful businesses, and by following the marketing “Do’s and Don’ts” highlighted here, you will be setting your business up for long term success.