On Tuesday, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the agency could begin prosecuting cannabis companies who claim unproven health benefits in their products. 

The FDA commissioner said entities are developing products and making claims which tout the anti-tumor effects of cannabis, and the FDA is seeks to address these questions related to the plant’s medical efficacy.

CBD International and CureYourCancerOwnCancer.com are two companies which claim cannabidiol (CBD) has already been proven to cure multiple types of cancer, but Project CBD pushed the FDA and federal government to open the doors for expansive studies on cannabis as a treatment for cancer and heart disease. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound of the cannabis plant which contains medical properties, but no psychoactive effects on the consumer.

Earlier in August, the agency reluctantly admitted the medical properties of cannabidiol (CBD) in order to assist the United Nations with designating it under international drug treaties.

The U.S. represented by the Department of Health and Human Services successfully filed a patent for CBD as a antioxidant and neuroprotectant in 2001 after research showed medical promise. The DEA claimed the reason for cannabis to be patented was to not have technology which could benefit the public sit idle.