Consumers need to understand how CBD products are regulated to ensure safe usage. After Congress passed the farm bill in 2018, new and towering waves of CBD products flooded public avenues. However, people want to more about CBD’s regulation. Even the products that contained the psychoactive THC were readily available after this historic development.
Because CBD science is in infancy, the FDA didn’t have much to go around to expedite the free sale of CBD products. Therefore, it took a cautious stance, which created a huge gap between regulatory policies and the pace with which manufacturers rolled out CBD products to the market. This left many consumers at an increased risk of buying low-quality CBD oils, tinctures, and other CBD-based products.
FDA Regulations and CBD Product Labeling
The way manufacturers label their CBD products plays a huge role in how the FDA perceives their legal status. Even if a product is hemp-based, it must follow a host of other laws and regulations to justify its inclusion in the broader CBD market.
Currently, CBD-infused drinks, supplements, and foods are in the grey zone. The FDA still has to reach a concrete decision about regulating these products because it doesn’t want to make any claims that are later dismissed by science.
However, the whole murkiness hovering over CBD regulations hasn’t stopped the CBD industry from capitalizing on CBD’s “potential” status as a medical marvel. Strict labeling requirements don’t bound most wellness companies. And they’re using this free rein to lure consumers into buying their products any way they deem possible.
According to current FDA regulations, CBD-infused products should adhere to the following guidelines:
- Labels should not be false or misleading
- Contain critical information, such as material facts, ingredients, and quality of contents.
- Properly display label information
- Obey the Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970
Misleading Medical Claims by CBD Manufacturers Against the Regulations
One thing CBD-based product labels are prohibited from advertising is therapeutic and medical claims. For example, a CBD topical that many people use for treating arthritic pain can’t say “it’s the perfect treatment for chronic pain,” despite the way consumers are using it. The FDA sent out warning letters to many companies whose products claimed to treat, diagnose, or cure critical conditions.
You can’t hold the entire CBD industry responsible for skirting laws and maneuvering loopholes. Many manufacturers are sticking to strict labeling requirements despite the lax regulatory environment surrounding CBD products.
However, these voluntary players are rare, and their existence doesn’t mean that the FDA doesn’t need to normalize stricter labeling standards. Stronger regulation is the only way consumers will get consistent access to good quality products.
Despite CBD’s legal status, many people are already using CBD as a dietary supplement. CBD-infused drinks and foods are quite common. The FDA has bluntly stated that it doesn’t consider CBD a nutritional supplement, but it hopes this can change the future.
If you’re in the market to buy a CBD product, here’s what you need to look for in a product label:
- Amount of active CBD per serving
- Supplement Fact Panel, including other ingredients
- Net weight
- Manufacturer or distributor name
- Suggested use
- Full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, or isolate
- Batch or date code
Beware of Advertising Slogans
Don’t fall prey to “marketing buzzwords. These include natural, pure, organic, and other similar misleading labels. They have no scientific basis and are only there to tempt you into buying a product.
Some products claim to contain hemp or hemp seed oil; however, both these oils are not the same as CBD oil derived from hemp. While these products contain many therapeutic compounds found in hemp, such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they don’t contain any CBD. If you’re in the market for cannabinoid-rich products, you shouldn’t fall prey to these advertising spiels.
Full Spectrum CBD, Broad Spectrum CBD, and CBD Isolate as per Regulations
Your product label may also clearly show which CBD product it contains. Right now, CBD products fall into three main categories:
- Full Spectrum
- Broad Spectrum
- Isolate CBD oil
Full Spectrum CBD oil, as the name suggests, contains every compound present in the hemp plant. This includes CBD, terpenes, THC, along with other cannabinoids, such as cannabigerol. Full-spectrum CBD oil is a great product because of the entourage effect. The entourage effect is a synergistic relationship between different cannabinoid compounds. These compounds work a lot better when they’re combined than when they’re acting as individual agents.
Broad-spectrum CBD is Full spectrum CBD minus one ingredient — THC. THC can show up in drug tests and cause adverse side effects, such as hallucination and delirium, in some vulnerable individuals. Therefore, many consumers choose broad-spectrum CBD products to steer clear of the THC component in their full spectrum counterparts.
CBD isolates are extremely refined.
They contain only one ingredient: CBD. This turns the end product into a fine crystalline powder called CBD crystal or pure CBD. Most products mention whether they contain CBD-isolate or other cannabis-based molecules. Some manufactures add MCT oil or other stable carrier oils to CBD isolates to preserve it for more extended periods. So, if you see these ingredients alongside, don’t be alarmed.
You should also check the label for CBD concentration. A 99.9% CBD concentration denotes that there is no trace of THC whatsoever. Any percentage lower than this may mean that the product may have some amount of THC. If you’re not satisfied with a product’s labeling, you can always check third-party lab results. Most companies publish these results on their website. They contain important information, including the total CBD concentration in the product.
Out of these options, research has shown that full-spectrum CBD oil is the most potent and beneficial. A 2015 study published in the journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacy showed that a CBD extract that had both THC and CBD was more effective at fighting inflammation in mice than CBD isolate.
But, if you’re worried you’re going to fail a drug test, an isolate is the better option.
Final Thoughts
No matter which CBD product you buy, it’s essential to check the labeling to make sure you’re making the right choice. The CBD market is mostly unregulated, so it mainly falls on the consumer to take responsibility and do whatever is needed to verify its authenticity and quality. The cues we’ve mentioned above may help.
