You go to your local grocery store, and you see hundreds of CBD bottles line up the shelves. It can be challenging to determine which ones are safe and proper for you because the FDA does not yet regulate these products. Read more about FDA and CBD on this page here.
Farmers in Colorado have issues when it comes to growing over a hundred thousand hemps. Hemp plants belong to the cannabis family and a cousin of marijuana, but the two are not the same.
These farmers ensure that the hemp does not absorb harmful chemicals around them because they are known to be bioaccumulator. The other is to control the two essential components of the hemp plants, which are THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol).
THC makes its users high, and CBD is gaining a lot of attention in the health and wellness industry today because of the potential benefits that it can bring.
As the results tell, customers consider the two vital factors when choosing over thousands of bottles from online shops or grocery store shelves. Even Coca-Cola is interested and watching the growing interest in cannabidiol closely as it can be a potential addition to the ingredients of the famous beverage.
More about the Industrial Hemp’s Legality
In some operations, the farmers have stated that when the cannabis plants are stressed with the changing weather, they tend to create more THC. It’s important to the consumers and manufacturers that the THC content stays below 0.3% to make it legal.
The federal government and states like Colorado have stated explicitly that the “legal” amounts of THC should be no more than 0.3%. Cannabidiol with less THC can be formulated into capsules, topicals, tinctures, vape juice, and even soaps that are widely sold to consumers. However, if the products contain more than 0.3% THC, it’s considered marijuana, and there’s a limit on where they are sold.
Make Sure that the Products are Free from Contaminants
Aside from the legality, the final product mustn’t contain any contaminants that may harm the consumers’ health. Cannabis can absorb pesticides and heavy metals in no time. For more protection against harmful chemicals, third-party laboratories considered creating tests that frequently check for toxic chemicals while the plants are growing.
Today, almost 47 states have legalized marijuana and hemp. Many of them don’t require testing from laboratories. With this said, consumers should always do adequate research and take matters into their own hands. They are their own self-police when choosing products.
This is why it’s important to choose products from trusted manufacturers. Some of them ensure that you get the cbd benefits by extracting locally sourced hemp. They constantly test their products for heavy metals, and they will give you information about the levels of THC and CBD contained in their bottles. Other factors to consider when choosing the products are the following:
- Deciding What Form You Want
If you want quick relief from anxiety, you can inhale CBD from cigarette-style products. Various products are infused with cannabidiol, and they can come in pills, drops, gummies, topicals, soaps, and tinctures. They can be available as an e-juice that you can put into vape pens.
If you want to get the effects within minutes, you may want to get the oil drops that you can put under the tongue. Topicals like lotions can be helpful with inflammation, but they can take hours for you to feel the effects. On the other hand, food products may take longer than 30 minutes to be absorbed into your system because they need to undergo digestion.
- Ensure that the THC Content is Less than 0.3%
It’s crucial to get products that have less than 0.3% THC to prevent getting “high.” The head-high can impair a consumer’s cognitive thinking, and this is not ideal for people who are just starting to explore the world of cannabis and CBD. All the same, you must know the THC level of the product that you’re consuming to learn its overall effectiveness.
Research suggests that when THC is combined with CBD and other phytocannabinoids, it can produce a so-called entourage effect. The plant compounds work together to eliminate pain, anxiety, and seizures faster than using the individual parts. Only a minimal amount of THC is needed to produce this effect, and there’s no need to get more.
If you want to get tinctures with no THC, but there are still other compounds like flavonoids and terpenes from the plant, you may want to get the broad-spectrum varieties. Learn more about THC in this link: These products are widely available in retail stores or online shops.
Finding products that offer 0.3% THC can be challenging for consumers. For one thing, it’s illegal to purchase products that will display content that has more than 0.3% THC. Dispensaries may sell what they claim as CBD-rich products, but it’s best if you can get yours from legitimate manufacturers.
Also, you need to be in a state that has legalized the recreational use of marijuana like Washington, Alaska, California, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, and Massachusetts. These are the places where you won’t have to see a doctor first, but you need to be over the age of 21. If you’re sensitive to the psychoactive effects of THC, it’s better to stick with the cannabidiol offered by the hemp plants to avoid the high that marijuana brings.
