CBD week rolls on here on the blog and thank you for all the wonderful emails about the podcast I did on that topic with Jason yesterday.   Super stoked that you enjoyed it.

Today, I wanted to address a big problem with CBD…..quality.

Since CBD has a high price point with lots of hype around it, you can bet that the quality will unfortunately drop as everyone who passed high school chemistry with a D- is now Willy the Wizard attempting to decarb some ditch weed in their mom’s bathtub.

Hey, let’s make CBD in here

Is there any data on the quality of CBD on the market though?

Good thing for you, I am the king of rabbit holing information off the ole pubmedZ.

From White, C. M. in 2019 (1)

“In 2016, investigators purchased 84 non–FDA-approved CBD products from 31 different companies over the Internet and tested them in triplicate using high-performance liquid chromatography in a commercial laboratory (2)”

Nerd translation: they bought a piss ton of CBD products off the shelf.

“Triplicate test results were averaged and reported by product weight. If the average detected concentration was 90% to 110% of the labeled value, it was considered accurately labeled.”

Nerd translation: they repeated the test 3 times to ensure it was accurate.

“With respect to CBD, only 31% were labeled correctly.”

Nerd translation:  none needed….most products sucked large moose balls at meeting label claims.

“The frequency of accurate labeling for CBD vaporization liquids, tinctures, and oils was 12.5%, 25%, and 45%, respectively.”

Nerd translation:  if you are buying CBD products from your nearby Cannabis Cabin, vapes had the lowest quality rating.  While oils were much better they were still under 50%; hence, you can flip a coin to determine the quality of your CBD oil.

“Products contained unlabeled delta-9-THC at a mean concentration of 0.45 mg/mL (range, 0–6.4) in 21% of samples.”

Nerd translation: almost a quarter were not labeled correctly for the amount of THC in them, which is required to be less than 0.3% by law for hemp oil to make it legal in all 50 states.  If you are feeling a bit wonky after taking your CBD oil, the THC content may be higher than what you think.

If that was not bad enough, they continued:

“The FDA has issued warning letters to numerous manufacturers for false claims but also tested those products for CBD content. The FDA found that many of these products contain little to no CBD, in marked contrast to their labeled amounts.” (1)

Nerd Translation: Ooops, that bottle of CBD you just spent your hard earned money on may not even have any CBD in it at all.  You might as well start flushing Benjamins down your crapper.

Great idea

This does not even take into account what other sheeeeeet they may have put in that discounted bottle.  If they did not care about the content of CBD, I shudder to think about what was actually in the bottle.

Newsflash –it’s probably not something you want in your body.

CBD Quality Summary

I know this is a bit on the “fear tactics” side – which I am not a fan of doing; however, this is the state of the industry now – based on actual peer reviewed data.

I would love to believe the industry has cleaned up since the data above has been published; although from working with the supplement industry for over a decade now and the high price point of CBD, I have my doubts.

Good News?

The good part is that there are stand-up manufactures working to do it the right way, and not all supplements are two rungs above putrefied pigeon poo.

Take your time to do your homework and investigate what you are putting in your body.

Call the company directly.

Ask them about their quality standards.

Ask for direct batch testing.

Inquire about where they source their hemp / raw materials.

If they don’t want to tell you anything, you have your answer and run for the hills (cue the Iron Maiden music).

Right now the only CBD/ hemp oil product I personally use is from Charlotte’s Web.

I’ve been fortunate enough to talk with them a ton, visit their facilities and do my homework as best I can being on the outside.

As far as I can tell, they are doing a stand-up job all around.  Full disclosure, I do make some clams if you opt to purchase their CBD products from my link.  I will even help you out by using the coupon code  drmike to save you 15%.

>> Charlotte’s Web CBD Hemp Oil <<

use the code   drmike     to save 15%

Even if you buy another product, make sure you do your homework to ensure it is high quality.

Rock on!
Dr Mike Nelson

PS – my favorite CBD is from Charlotte’s Web via Driven Nutrition.  It is the one I personally use along with my family.  Yes, it is an affiliate link below so I do get a few clams if you pick some up.  I will help sweeten the deal even more by giving you 15% off with the code    drmike   .

>> Charlotte’s Web CBD Hemp Oil <<

use the code   drmike     to save 15%

Actual Data (aka References)

  1. White CM. A Review of Human Studies Assessing Cannabidiol’s (CBD) Therapeutic Actions and Potential. Journal of clinical pharmacology. 2019.
  2. Bonn-Miller MO, Loflin MJE, Thomas BF, Marcu JP, Hyke T, Vandrey R. Labeling Accuracy of Cannabidiol Extracts Sold Online. JAMA. 2017;318(17):1708-9.