All around the world, independent tests of CBD products show that most won’t help you, and some can even harm you.
In this still-young industry, most products either have too little CBD to give a health benefit; or they’re psychoactive; or they contain nasties like heavy metals. Often it’s a combination of all three.
Even just in this last week of November 2022, UK regulators have banned the products of a leading & well-established CBD company after they failed quality testing.
So how can you protect yourself? What should we all look for in a finished product?
Here are our top four tips:
- Show me your CoA! Ask your supplier to show you the independent Certificate of Analysis lab report for each product. This will show you not only what’s in the product but also, crucially, which potential nasties are not in the product
- Does the oil come from a hemp farm that is certified organic?
This is especially important because hemp plants absorb toxins in soil. In fact, hemp is often planted specifically to clean up soil (it was used after the Chernobyl disaster), so you want full traceability of a product, back to the specific hemp crop - Your guests will want the reassurance of non-detectable levels of THC (the cannabis compound that gets you high), so check that lab report..
- Is the oil truly ‘broad spectrum’? If so, it means your guests are benefitting from not just CBD; they are also getting the other 145 cannabinoids (minus the THC), the flavonoids, the terpenes, the vitamins and more. This gives a product its super-beneficial ‘Entourage Effect’. Most oils on the market use cheap, powdered CBD in isolate form and then mix in other powders and oils to be able to call them ‘broad spectrum’. This is nowhere near as effective as when the starting material is the full, rich, whole-plant hemp oil
Final word: whether your guests are taking CBD to help them sleep or to relax, or more.. the quality of oil is essential in this still largely unregulated market. Caveat Emptor!
Kannaway and its group are the leaders globally for CBD, CBDa, CBG and CBN non-psychoactive hemp oils.
The pioneers of the CBD industry, setting the Triple Lab Testing™ safety standard, and still producing the only CBD in the world that is prescribed as an approved medical treatment, Kannaway have become a company of ‘positive global change’ after they were invited to address the World Health Organisation in 2017 about the benefits of hemp-sourced cannabis oils.
One of their most important contributions to the industry is the fact that all products begin their life from raw, whole-plant hemp oil; this is still almost unheard-of in the commercial CBD & cannabinoid industry. From there, they refine the oil with an extraction process which involves no harsh solvents, no alcohol, and no high heat, giving your guests a quality of product which actually gives a health benefit.
Kannaway: the Company of Firsts