You may have considered using cannabidiol to reduce symptoms such as chronic pain, anxiety, and other conditions. Reading and understanding CBD product labels can be difficult, especially if you’re new to CBD.
Understanding CBD labels are even more complicated due to the fact that the Food and Drug Administration Trusted Source hadn’t approved any nonprescription CBD product.
Instead, it is up to you, as the consumer, to do your homework or rely upon third-party testing to assess the quality and contents of a specific CBD product.
Need help making informed CBD decisions? We have created this 101 guide for Labeling CBD.
Cannabis Basics: CBD, THC, and Hemp vs. Marijuana
First, we need to give you a basic overview of the terminology used in cannabis.
CBD vs. THC
CBD can be found in cannabis plants. The cannabis plant also has the well-known cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol.
These two cannabinoids – CBD and THC – are totally different. THC is psychoactive. This is why marijuana users associate it with the “high.” CBD doesn’t give that sensation.
Hemp vs. Marijuana
Both marijuana plants and hemp are cannabis. The difference is that marijuana has higher levels of THC than hemp plants, with 0.3% THC.
CBD Can Be Either Hemp Or Marijuana-Derived.
Depending on where and how the laws apply in your area or country, you may be eligible to purchase both marijuana-derived as well as hemp-derived CBD. You may be able to access CBD products that are only hemp-derived, or you may not have any access at all.
It is important to know the difference between marijuana and hemp. Because marijuana-derived CBD can cause some psychoactive side effects, the drug tests will detect the THC contained in these products.
Hemp-derived CBD only contains trace amounts of THC. It is not likely to cause a high nor register on a drug test.
It’s important for you to know that CBD is more effective when combined with THC than it is by itself. This is known as the entourage effect.
How To Identify What You Are Buying and How to Avoid Wasting Money?
Once you have made a decision about what product you are looking for, make sure to read the ingredient label.
It is important to ensure that your purchase contains CBD or cannabidiol. This will prevent you from wasting your money. A few products will label CBD as hemp oil. This can be due to ever-changing laws.
Be careful not to be deceived if products don’t contain cannabidiol. These ingredients are not equivalent to CBD.
You can choose to use compounds, either isolate, full-spectrum (or broad-spectrum): What’s it all mean?
What you get in your product, along with the CBD itself, will depend on whether you choose full-spectrum CBD, CBD isolates or broad-spectrum CBD.
Full-Spectrum CBD: has all the naturally-occurring compounds of cannabis, including THC. THC is only 0.3 per cent in hemp-derived CBD full-spectrum. The oil extracted from the flowers increases THC levels.
Broad-Spectrum: CBD consists of all of the naturally occurring substances, with the exception of THC. This is often removed.
CBD Isolate – This is the purest CBD form, separated from any other compounds from the hemp plant. CBD isolate should be free of THC.