There has been a flood of new CBD products that have come to market since early 2019. Many of them are bogus. Some of them have synthetic ingredients, some have dangerous ingredients and some contain no authentic CBD at all. Sometimes even legitimate CBD products contain doses much higher or much lower than indicated on the product ingredients label. Whenever any product experiences explosive demand, such as CBD has, it is inevitable that many fly-by-night companies will pop up in order to make a fast buck at the expense of consumers. So, it is imperative that any consumer shopping for CBD makes a diligent effort to verify that which they are buying is a legitimate, authentic CBD product.
The good news is that there are a number of legit, quality companies offering quality CBD. But it is incumbent on you, the consumer, to do a little homework to ensure you are buying the real thing.
There are a number of important buying criteria consumers must observe when selecting CBD in order the end up with a high-quality, authentic product. First and foremost is verification of what is actually contained in the product. This verification must come in the form of evidence of third party (i.e. independent) verification by a testing lab that periodically examines the ingredients being used in the CBD product. Most all companies that verify their products’ quality through an independent testing lab publish the test results on their websites. If such verification is not published, you should assume it does not exist. Now, obviously it is possible that an unscrupulous company could post bogus verification on its’ website so you cannot rely on that alone, although you could actually call the testing lab to verify and confirm that the CBD company actually used the testing lab as published on the CBD company website.
The testing lab will verify that the CBD contained in the products is authentic and they will list what if any other substances are contained in the tested batch of CBD. The test results should also disclose and toxic substances in the batch as well as whether or not there is any THC in the batch. THC is the substance in marijuana that produces a psychoactive response. CBD can be made from marijuana although most CBD sold is derived from industrial hemp. Industrial hemp has only minimal amounts of THC so some CBD products have tiny levels of THC while others have zero THC. The law requires that CBD products have less than 0.3% THC. Lab testing will also indicate whether or not any toxic substances are contained in the material tested.
Based on a number of recent news stories, it is reasonable to conclude the biggest risk to using CBD… is using CBD that is actually fake CBD. In other words, the news we have seen surrounding tainted CBD that has landed some people in the hospitable or worse, almost always involves bogus CBD that, in fact, had no CBD contained in the product but instead had a variety of ingredients, many of them toxic, including synthetic marijuana.
So, what is the best way to avoid tainted, phony CBD? Here are a few critical suggestions:
Red Flags – Things To Avoid
1) Do NOT but products labeled as CBD from convenience stores or gas stations.
2) Do NOT buy CBD from vape stores unless you have personally verified that the brand is a well-known, established brand.
3) Do NOT vape CBD – Even if the CBD extract you are vaping is authentic CBD there is the additional significant problem of the possible danger from vaping anything.
4) Do NOT buy any brand that does offer convincing evidence that the CBD contained in the brand has been testing by an independent testing lab to show that the CBD contained in the product has been verified as free of toxic substances, is authentic and whose potency has been verified.
5) Do NOT buy unknown brands.
6) Do NOT buy any product before carefully reading the ingredients label. If you don’t understand the ingredients or if there are numerous ingredients, do not purchase it.
7) Do NOT buy and CBD product without taking the time to investigate the brand. Do your homework before buying!
8) Do NOT buy CBD from Amazon. Amazon DOES NOT ALLOW CBD to be sold so…CBD sold on Amazon is probably bogus.
For more information about CBD sold on Amazon click here and for additional info click here
Other factors to be aware of include when shopping for CBD
1) Does the company manufacture its own products or is it private labeled?
2) From where do they source the hemp that is used the extract CBD?
3) Is this hemp organically grown or are pesticides used in the growing process?
4) What type of extraction process is used? Are potentially dangerous chemicals used?
IMPORTANT…Hemp Seed Oil is NOT CBD oil – Hemp ‘Seeds’ Do NOT Contain CBD
Hemp Oil is NOT the same as CBD oil Most products labeled hemp oil is actually Hemp SEED oil. Hemp seeds do not contain CBD. Many hemp seed oil products are deceptively sold are very high prices and marketed to look like they are CBD products. But usually they are not.
Fake CBD products are a public health risk. But there are plenty of excellent, authentic CBD products available from reputable companies. Hopefully this information will help consumers select only high-quality authentic CBD brands.
In addition to the suggestions contained in the article…
Remember to ALWAYS read ingredients labels carefully.