By now, you’ve likely heard plenty about cannabidiol (CBD), whether from the news, celebrities, or even your friends. Since the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill legalized the cultivation and production of hemp products across the United States, CBD products and manufacturers have popped up all over the country. Some of the most popular products on the market include CBD gummies, CBD oil, and CBD vapes.
CBD is one of the over 100 cannabinoids in the cannabis plant if you’re unfamiliar. Unlike the more famous cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBD produces zero psychoactive effects, which is the “high” feeling people associate with marijuana. Many studies have shown the potential for CBD products to help with situations like occasional anxiousness, sleeplessness, and discomfort. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved one CBD product, Epidiolex, to treat the symptoms of two rare forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and Dravet syndrome. However, the FDA doesn’t approve any other cannabis products to treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition.
So, if you’re considering trying out CBD for yourself, you’ll need to find a reputable CBD brand. But how do you know if a brand is reputable or not? Today, we’ll take a look at three characteristics of a reputable CBD brand so you can make the best choice when shopping for your next CBD purchase.
1. An in-house production process is a sure sign of a reputable CBD brand.
When you’re searching for a reputable brand to buy from, one of the first things to check out is their production process. One sure sign of a reputable brand is that they handle the entire process from seed to shelf. As a result, you’ll receive a product that’s pure of that company’s design. They took the time to grow, harvest, extract, and manufacture their CBD products to produce a quality product designed to meet their specifications. Many companies outsource their hemp production or CBD extraction processes and simply bottle and sell their CBD. These companies might miss out on crucial information that could affect the quality of their products. So, when choosing your CBD brand, choose one that does it all in-house.
2. Transparency is a must when it comes to a reputable CBD brand.
Transparency is another way to know that the company you’re dealing with is up to par. When a manufacturer isn’t open about their products, where they come from, where the hemp was grown, and what’s in their products, you should consider shopping elsewhere. The brand you choose to purchase from should be open and honest about their process and products. For example, National shares their entire production process and how they source their hemp on their website. This company grows its hemp at farms in rural North Carolina. Their plants are grown for a specific combination of cannabinoids and terpenes to suit their products. Furthermore, they explain how they extract their CBD from hemp using ethanol and finish their products at their lab in Research Triangle Park. This is the kind of transparency you should be looking for in a reputable CBD brand.
3. A Certificate of Analysis is a must-have for reputable companies.
The only time a third party should have a hand in a CBD company’s products is to verify its Certificate of Analysis (CoA). The CoA is crucial for determining a high-quality CBD product. Third-party labs produce CoAs to ensure the products a company is selling are safe and properly labeled. All reputable CBD brands will provide batch-specific lab results for their products. You can typically find these on the company’s site. However, many reputable companies have a quick response (QR) code on the product label that takes you to the lab results when you scan it. If the product you’re considering doesn’t have a CoA, it’s probably not reputable.
Start shopping safely.
Now that you know the most important characteristics to look out for, you can make an educated decision for your next purchase. Remember to look for in-house production, transparency, and a CoA.
