What to Look for When Buying CBD
CBD has been booming in popularity in the last few years. Awareness of CBD is growing due to the increasing amount of research being done to explore its potential health benefits. It's funny to think that not long ago, CBD was an illegal substance. This changed when the 2018 Farm Bill passed and legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp and hemp-derived products across the country.
The 2018 Farm Bill defined hemp as cannabis with 0.3% THC or less. However, this bill did not answer some questions like how will the FDA regulate non pharmaceutical, hemp-derived CBD? Or what policies should be put in place to ensure high quality, lab-verified, CBD-rich products in addition to pharmaceutical options? One study showed that 69% of 85 CBD products were mislabeled, having the incorrect amount of CBD and/or THC on their label. With the CBD industry being unregulated, it is up to the consumer to do their due diligence on the company and products they are considering in order to find a quality CBD product.
Knowing what to look for can improve the odds of finding a high quality CBD product. Here are some tips when shopping for CBD:
- Choose a “full-spectrum” CBD product and not an “isolate” or “distillate” or a product claiming “no THC” or “pure CBD”. Full-spectrum means that the product will include other cannabinoids and cannabis compounds.
- Look for products that show the amount of CBD per serving and total amount in the bottle clearly on the label.
- Seek out companies that are using high-resin cannabis that is grown sustainably within the United States. Ideally, their products should carry the FDA certified organic seal on the label.
- Look for products that have a Supplement Facts Panel which includes all other ingredients.
- Each bottle should have a batch or lot code.
- Seek out companies that provide a certificate of analysis (COA) from a third party source to ensure accurate and unbiased results.
- Don’t be afraid to contact CBD companies directly and ask questions. And if you cannot reach them directly, try another brand.
Lily Hill’s mission is to grow, process, and manufacture high-quality, affordable CBD products. Transparency is important to us which is why our product labels and website provide all the important information needed for our customers to feel good about making an informed decision to use our products.
We are always happy to answer any questions about our products and practices; feel free to contact us anytime!