The Portman Group has been forced to issue a Retailer Alert Bulletin after a manufacturer of CBD-infused gin fell foul of the alcohol marketing watchdog.
‘Colorado High’ was the first CBD-infused product to be considered by the Group’s Independent Complaints Panel. It now also has the dubious honour of being the first to have a complaint against it upheld.
A member of the public complained that the gin broke the Portman Group’s rule prohibiting association with illegal drugs and another that there should be no association with therapeutic qualities. The Complaints Panel found the product to be in breach of both rules.
Colorado High is produced by Surrey-based Silent Pool Distillery, which has decided not to work with the Portman Group’s Advisory Service on revising the product.
As a result, Colorado High is now the subject of a Retailer Alert Bulletin (RAB). The RAB will be sent to over 130 signatories of the Portman Group’s code of conduct. These include major supermarkets and other distributors. The RAB allows retailers to sell any remaining stock but prevent them from re-ordering the product in its problematic form after 20 April 2021.
Nicola Williams, Chair of the Independent Complaints Panel said: “We would urge producers to think carefully about how they place a CBD descriptor on their product’s packaging. It is important that CBD is viewed as an ingredient, rather than a suggestion of therapeutic or health benefits.”
The Portman Group is now developing guidance to aid producers in their use of CBD in alcohol products.
