TEL AVIV, Israel —Cannabidiol (CBD) edibles may not contain the amount of CBD listed on the label, a recent report found.
Leafreport sent 40 CBD edibles from various brands for third-party testing at Canalysis Laboratories in Las Vegas. The test revealed that 65% of products contained more CBD than stated on the label.
CBD, a nonpsychoactive component of cannabis, has risen in popularity over the last few years, causing some retailers, like convenience stores, to sell it in a variety of forms such as gummies, lotions and oils.
The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp as a crop and ingredient, but many retailers are hesitant to sell it because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not released guidelines on handing and selling the substance.
CBD oil companies typically send their products for testing to an independent lab to verify its potency and safety and publishes the test results online; however, according to the Leafreport’s test, it’s clear many products on the market don’t contain as much CBD as they should.
Only a quarter of the tested products had CBD levels within 10% of the amount stated on the label, according to Leafreport.
CBD edibles are more difficult to formulate than CBD oil and contain much smaller amounts of CBD per pieces, so even a few milligrams can have a big effect, Leafreport said. Industry experts recommend that cannabis products should have cannabinoid levels that deviate no more than 10% from the stated amount.
Using that benchmark, Leafreport assigned the CBD products it had tested one of four ratings:
- A: Excellent, within 10% of the label.
- B: Decent, within 20% of the label.
- C: Poor, within 30% of the label.
- F: Fail, CBD levels differed from the label by more than 30%.
Eleven out of the 40 products tested, or 27.5%, had CBD levels within 10% of what was stated on the label, Leafreport said. Twenty-five percent (10 products) scored a B, 17.5% (seven products) scored a C and 30% (12 products) scored an F.
Most of the products, 25, contained more CBD than advertised, Leafreport said. Most of the brands that received the best rating were relatively small or new companies, it said.
Potency tests are important so consumers can know if they’re getting their money’s worth and so people can figure out their correct dosage and limit the risk of potential side effects, Leafreport said. A product with lower CBD than claimed will also be less effective and make people think that CBD doesn’t work, it said.
A full list of the products and their ratings can be found on Leafreport’s website. Leafreport noted the report was solely based on its test findings and should not be seen as conclusive, complete or error-free.
Leafreport, Tel Aviv, Israel, is a comprehensive online resource dedicated to CBD with a mission to bring transparency to the CBD industry.
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