Cannabidiol – referred to as “CBD,” was considered an illegal substance until the 2014 Farm Bill made industrial hemp and hemp-derived CBD legal to produce in the United States.
With this CBD health and wellness revolution came droves of products constantly being produced with CBD and retailers dedicating shelf space in their stores to showcase CBD-infused products.
Whether it’s a coffee joint, a salon or spa, health and vitamin shop or chain pharmacy or privately owned pharmacy – you can find CBD taking up residence.
As a consumer, you are being overmarketed to with advertising and promises of CBD as a cure. We are here to set the record straight and make sure to arm you with the questions you need to ask or the things you need to be able to check off the list before purchasing CBD either online or at a retail pharmacy.
First and foremost, check with your licensed health practitioner first to make sure that CBD is right for you. Just because everyone is doing it, doesn’t always mean you should.
What is CBD Oil?
CBD oil is used to describe products and formulations that are infused with CBD or concentrated with CBD. CBD is the non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in the Cannabis Sativa (hemp) plant. CBD is extracted from the hemp plant and as legally defined legally, contains less than 0.3% THC, the psychoactive cousin of the hemp plant found in marijuana.
There are full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and isolates as well. Full-spectrum CBD includes more than CBD, inclusive of terpenes and other cannabinoids. Isolates are very similar to full-spectrum carrying the cannabinoids but no THC.
If you aren’t familiar with the different types of CBD oil, here’s an overview.
Full Spectrum CBD contains many of the beneficial compounds found in the hemp plant, including other cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes. In fact, there are over 200 such compounds found in the hemp plant and science has yet to catch up with how all of them interact with each other, but it is generally believed that the combination of all these compounds provides the most wellness benefits.
Broad Spectrum CBD contains some of the same compounds found in Full Spectrum CBD, however, the THC is removed completely and with it, many of the other minor cannabinoids are removed in the process of removing the THC.
Advocates of Broad Spectrum CBD will claim it is comparable to Full Spectrum Oil, without the THC, but the reality is that many of the other cannabinoids are reduced to the point where Broad Spectrum CBD oil is relatively close in effect to the CBD Isolate.
People take Broad Spectrum CBD or Isolate CBD (see next) because they have jobs (active law enforcement, military, air traffic controllers, or commercial drivers) that have a zero-tolerance for THC.
A very small percentage of CBD users are hypersensitive to the effects of THC and cannot tolerate any amount of THC in their bodies. For these people, broad-spectrum CBD or CBD Isolate products are preferred
CBD Isolate – is just the CBD with no other compounds found in either the broad-spectrum CBD or full-spectrum CBD.
Is CBD Oil Legal In My State?
The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp-derived CBD from a list of illegal drugs but we recommend that you review your state’s laws and guidelines to ensure that CBD purchases are legal in your state.
How Much does CBD Cost?
CBD products vary in popularity, price, and product type. As we always caution, “you get what you pay for”.
CBD products range from $25 – $300 depending on the amount in the bottle and the potency and quality of the product. The less expensive the product, the possibility that you are sacrificing quality.
Like we always say, not all CBD products are created equally. There are a few things you need to keep in mind as you peruse the shelves in your local pharmacy to make sure you are getting a quality product.
What to Know About the CBD Label and the Company?
There are a lot of CBD companies that mislabel their products or the products are sub-par quality. It’s important to know what to look for on the label to:
Is the company reputable – you can take a few minutes and check their site on your phone while in the pharmacy aisle to ensure you are comfortable
To confirm they are reputable, there are a few things to look for:
- The reviews are from reliable, third-party vendors that are reputable like Trustpilot
- Are their products triple lab tested?
- Does the company share third party, independent, and verified lab reports?
- Do they have QR codes on the bottle so you can easily scan with your phone and obtain the verified lab report?
- The company/product does not make any medical claims
- The ingredients are clearly listed and labeled
- Should contain no more than 0.3% THC
- Suggested amount of CBD per serving or provided via the QR code
- Supplement fact panel
- Net weight
- The name of the manufacturer
- Clearly labeled as full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, or isolate CBD
- Batch and/or code date
Additionally, don’t be intrigued by buzz words like “organic”, “pure”, “all-natural” because those don’t have any scientific meaning in the CBD or hemp space and are purely used as slick advertising speak.
Any product you are considering should not be making any medical claims. While the FDA monitors this all very closely and regularly issues warning letters to brands that make claims that are illegal, it still goes on and you should not purchase products that tell you that they will “treat” or “cure” your medical issue. This is not a brand that can be trusted as such claims have not been verified by double-blind placebo testing.
The most reputable CBD companies will detail all of the items on the checklist we shared in great detail. That is a primary indication that this is a brand that can be trusted.
At High Falls Hemp NY, we live by each of these principles and provide you a trusted CBD company that has; verified reviews on Trustpilot, products that are triple lab tested, QR codes on every product so consumers can easily reference them, do not make medical claims, clearly outlines ingredients on the label and the products carry less than 0.3% THC.
We are so confident that you will enjoy our products that we offer a 30-day risk-free trial and customer service to support or answer any questions you may have.
Kristina Shafarenko is a relationship and health and wellness psychologist and a part-time freelance lifestyle writer covering health and fitness, sex, sexual wellness, and relationships. When she’s not writing, you can find her planning her next getaway, taste-testing every coffee spot in sight, and lounging at home with her cat, Buddy.
