Complaints upheld against Matt Le Tissier for CBD adverts on X
Complaints about how former Southampton footballer Matt Le Tissier promoted CBD products on X, formerly known as Twitter, have been upheld.
The Guernseyman, who now lives in Hampshire, is a brand ambassador for Supreme CBD – a company selling products containing cannabidiol oil derived from the hemp plant.
The complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority and Committee of Advertising Practice focused on four messages on X, one of which was a tweet with an embedded video by the former footballer tagging @Supreme CBD.
The text stated he had been sceptical about CBD, but claimed it had been a game changer for people with anxiety, depression, pain or insomnia.
A discount was then offered using Le Tissier’s own code.
The video showed Le Tissier with three types of CBD products and he claimed again that it helped with anxiety and sleeping.
It was not identified as an advert.
The investigation found that Mr Le Tissier did not have a formal contract with Supreme CBD and the brand did not control his post content.
However, he did receive a commission from sales made through his personalised code.
Le Tissier said he was referring to his personal experiences and feedback he had received from others in his posts.
He said he would ensure he did not mention any medical benefits in the future and would identify the posts. The CPA and ASA upheld the complaints.
Adverts cannot claim that food products prevent, treat and cure human diseases and it must be clear if they are adverts.
The ads must not appear in their current form and future ads must be obviously identifiable as marketing communications.
