In today’s market the demand for CBD has skyrocketed. With recent studies suggesting the health benefits, consumers are turning to CBD products as a natural source for their ailments, but can you trust your CBD product?
Everyone is talking about CBD these days, and putting it in almost everything. Recent studies that show the potential for CBD as a natural source for pain relief, sleep aid, tumor reduction and so much more, have people flocking to their local dispensary - or really anywhere they can get it.
This is where a red flag shows up. Marijuana is not legal in all 50 states, making it difficult for some to purchase CBD from a trusted dispensary-leading them to purchase products online. But with the booming CBD market, and with quality control standards varying from state to state, not all company’s can be trusted that their CBD products are free of contaminants.
Here are some growing concerns of contaminants in hemp- and cannabis-based CBD products that aren’t widely talked about, and some things you should consider before purchasing any CBD product:
Quality Concerns With Hemp or Cannabis-based CBD:
The major issue found with industrial hemp and cannabis crops is that they make amazing phytoremediation sources. Hemp and Cannabis suck up all sorts of toxins, chemicals, and metals from the soil - good or bad. But the bad is what we are worried about. When plants are doused with pesticides, or soils have heavy metals, these toxins are absorbed by cannabis and hemp and can be transferred to humans or pets through use.
It’s when we’re talking about CBD extractions where things get even more scary. There is growing concern that the extraction process of CBD when other toxins are present, can cause an alarming level of contaminants to be concentrated in the product - which are then consumed. This is in part why California recently banned industrial hemp-based CBD from all food and beverage products.
You must be thinking that just like California, other states have regulations in order that keep these products from entering our market today. Which leads me to the next major factor affecting consistent quality of hemp or cannabis-based CBD. At this time, third-party testing isn’t regulated the same from state to state; allowing some companies to find ways to sale CBD with questionable quality and save a pretty penny.
Sourcing Concerns of Hemp or Cannabis-based CBD:
The legalities of growing hemp and cannabis crops in the U.S. make it difficult for farmers to consistently source and meet the demands of CBD in our market today. This at times has caused some companies to outsource their CBD product; meaning they are sourcing from another country with different regulations on the cultivation of hemp and cannabis.
The concern is similar to what was mentioned previously - other countries have different regulations on pesticide or other chemical use to treat their crops. They also may have different regulations on where they can grow their crops and whether or not they test for heavy metals. If we don’t know where our CBD is sourced, how can we know exactly what we are taking?
When these products enter the U.S. market where we currently do not have standard regulations on third-party testing across all 50 states, there is no way to guaranteed that every CBD product in the market is free of contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals.
What you can do to avoid the issues facing the CBD market:
If you are seeking CBD for medicinal purposes and depending on the severity it is advised to speak with a medical professional. If Marijuana is legal in your state for either medical or recreational use, ask your local dispensary where your product is coming from and if they have public third-party test results where you can research what exactly is in the product you are buying. Doing a little bit of research and knowing what questions to ask can help you find the best product and avoid contaminants.
If medical and recreational marijuana is not legal in your state or you simply want an alternative to hemp or cannabis based CBD, Citrus CBD may be a good option for you! Our daily CBD supplement is not associated with hemp or cannabis and is THC-free making is legal. We also have third-party test results of 99.7-99.9% purity, making our products free of contaminants.