Ex-EPL stars, boxers & models push legal cannabis edibles to banish 'anxiety'

Former Premier League stars, boxers and models have been accused of 'preying' on vulnerable people who have 'nowhere left to go' by routinely flogging CBD Gummies on social media despite experts claiming they are as effective as a 'sugar pill'.

Ex-Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson, Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier and glamour model Jodie Marsh are among a host of stars who have used their X accounts to endorse Supreme CBD, a company set up by former Olympic boxer Anthony Fowler.

In February, Le Tissier - who has repeatedly pedalled Covid vaccine conspiracies - and ex-Celtic striker John Hartson were reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) for suggesting CBD Gummies 'could prevent, treat or cure human disease'.

They did so without informing their hundreds of thousands of followers on social media that they were making money off the promotions.

Scientists from Bath and Oxford last week found that the CBD pain relief products are no better than a placebo at relieving pain, and the unregulated products may contain other chemicals that may be harmful.

Reacting to the study, Ian Hamilton, an honorary fellow in addiction at the University of York, told MailOnline: 'It confirms what I've always thought which is that they are marketed in a way that suggests they're going to be effective but really they are no more effective than a sugar pill.'

Speaking about celebrities making unsubstantiated health claims, he added: 'That's really harmful and it's just not acceptable, is it? Because it's preying on people's fears.

'People that are drawn to taking these products who have chronic pain or even cancer, quite often they have nowhere left to go.

'They've tried all the traditional treatments they're not working, or they're not