Tips On How To Read CBD Labels
What does hemp extract exactly mean? We cover this in more detail below.
CBD labels have been the buzz around the city recently. But how do you read these private labels?
Nutritional labels and food labels are already super confusing to read, and now you can add CBD labels to the list.
CBD is more popular than ever, but do customers know the product they are buying?
Unfortunately, Consumers need to be wise today to understand CBD product labels clearly. This includes buying cbd online, over the counter, or in a licensed medical cannabis store.
The first step to understanding private label cbd products is too look for the dosage. Keep you eye open for any vague claims, or sources.
CBD Label Requirements
Currently, Every state has different laws for cbd label regulations. And at the moment only The most competent label requirements come from state and medical programs. Beyond the state regulations, there are no federal regulations for cbd. Many cbd companies and products design their labels to look like dietary supplements or ingredient labels.
CBD Dosage
What is one dose of CBD? How many doses are in a bottle? These are the questions you want to be asking yourself.
CBD dosage is the most important piece of the product label, This includes the milligrams (mg) of CBD in the entire bottle or package. One thing to keep in mind, is that some tests have found that CBD labels are often not accurate. 23 of the 47 products tested did not have the advertised dosage amount.
While CBD companies are thriving, so are the scammers. Some CBD products have zero (0) mg of CBD, while others don’t even have 20% of what they claim.
Milligrams (mg) of CBD
Every private cbd label should clearly state the total milligrams (mg) of CBD in the bottle or package. You also want to check the serving size to see how much is in one serving. For example, eating one cbd candy gummy bear would be one serving size. The amount of cbd per serving will equal one gummy bear. Then check to see the number of servings, this is the total amount of the food or candy.
CBD Oil Source
You want to know where your cbd oil is coming from. CBD products in the medical industry come from marijuana plants that contain less than 0.3% of THC.
Another two keywords you want to look for on the private label is “full spectrum” and “broad spectrum”, versus “CBD isolate”.
- Full Spectrum CBD – this rating has trace levels of other cannabinoids and terpenes, including THC.
- Broad Spectrum CBD – this rating has trace levels of other cannabinoids and terpenes, and no THC.
- CBD isolate – This rating consists of nearly pure CBD crystals, and no cannabinoids or terpenes.
Most importantly, look for “Hemp Extract” or “Hemp Oil”, these phrases allow the cbd manufacturer to sell CBD products with no CBD in them. Amazon is full of cbd products like this that are loaded with low quality “hemp oil” products.
Most Important Things To Look For On CBD Labels
- Batch and Lot numbers – Many state licensed or medical cannabis companies mandate batch and lot numbers on CBD labels and packaging. Lot numbers are a sign of accountability for consumers, if there is a recall, regulators can hold an entire batch or lot and not sell it. If there is no lot number no one can know when or where it was made.
- Manufacturing date – Just like food products and fruits, CBD quality also degrades over time. A manufacturing date on labels is the best way to know how old a product is. CBD tinctures and edibles should be ate within months, not years.
- Thirst Party Lab Results – A third party lab test verifies the information on the product label is accurate.
How To Find The Best CBD Products
- You want to buy from a trusted store or vendor, like directly from the manufacturer’s website or from a national drugstore. Try to avoid buying from your local gas station, headshop, convenience store, surf shop or other places, as you are gambling with your money and health.
- Demand third party testing. Any CBD company can claim their products are tested, but only brands that link to a third party test result on the product label offer proof of the cbd potency and purity. Some of these custom labels use a QR code on the label, scan it with your camera and read the results. Another way is to enter the cbd gummy batch number to see the lab test results.
- Try to buy from cbd companies that have been in the game for a while, with years and years of experience.
- Organic sources is always a plus. If a cbd company is going through lots of paperwork and tests to be certified, the chances are they also do the same with their cbd products.
- Trust your eyes – If the product label looks like a children’s cereal it might not be what you want. Look for private labels that would be seen in your local pharmacy.
- You get what you pay for. Growing, cultivating, harvesting, and packaging CBD product is difficult and expensive. If you are buying cheap cbd products you may not be getting the full dose the label claims, if any at all.
Click here to read about CBD products that really contain the full amount advertised.
FDA Targets CBD Products & Supplements
The FDA recently sent out warning letters to a few CBD companies, specifically Morguetorium, LLC. The FDA wrote
“Your product 'Morgue Juice' is not generally recognized as safe and effective for the above referenced uses and, therefore, the product is a “new drug” … New drugs may not be legally introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce without prior approval from the FDA…. FDA approves a new drug on the basis of scientific data and information demonstrating that the drug is safe and effective.”
The FDA has recently said that CBD products are excluded from the definition of a dietary supplement because CBD is still in the process of getting clinical claims researched and approved.
“FDA is not aware of any evidence that would call into question its current conclusion that CBD products are excluded from the dietary supplement definition … but you may present FDA with any evidence that has bearing on this issue," The FDA wrote to another CBD company.
Vice President of CV sciences, Stuart Tomc, says "We produce products from outdoor grown agricultural hemp that contain fatty acids, phytocannabinoids, terpenes, plant sterols, chlorophyll and naturally occurring vitamin E, with no other ingredients,".
"It’s clearly a botanical extract, not a pharmaceutical drug.” Says Tomc.
On the other side, the FDA tested many CBD products and found seven of them didn’t even contain the chemicals that are found within the Cannabis sativa plant: cannabinoids.