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We recently released a video on the channel discussing the High Street CBD Products which are growing in popularity throughout the United Kingdom, and indeed, much of Europe and the rest of the world.
The reason for making this video was to make people aware that some of these CBD products on the market may not be what they say on the tin, due to the fact that Cannabidiol (CBD) has become a marketing buzzword which is likely to sell new products.
We are seeing this particularly in the areas of food, beauty and supplements, and will continue to do so as the CBD market grows.The Novel Foods Regulations being applied to CBD now mean it should go through an 18-month testing procedure before being sold, but producers are already finding ways to get around this and CBD looks unlikely to disappear any time soon.
In recent months we have seen products like CBD Water, CBD cream (day + night cream as well as muscle balm) and CBD hair treatment, along with CBD coffee, CBD-infused meals (and we are only scratching the surface here). Most of the products mentioned in this paragraph do not list the CBD content, or it is unlikely to be high enough to give you a good benefit in the way consuming more traditional forms will.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid found traditionally in higher abundance in hemp and landrace strains, but more recently in specially developed strains with high CBD content. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and can help reduce anxiety, among a host of other benefits. As it is not deemed psychoactive like THC, most Governments have generally considered it innocuous enough not to bother to regulate.
This has enabled many companies to spring up and bring CBD products to the market. And since there has been an industry, there have been industry-related issues.
Issues in the CBD Industry
Issues such as not being able to accurately determine the amount of CBD in a product still persist to this day, and I have seen this both in small company CBD products and High Street CBD products.
You can find products on the market which claim to be “CBD Products”, but which have no mention of the milligrams of cannabidiol contained within. This is particularly worrying as you could buy a product to get the benefits of CBD, and not actually get those benefits. This may lead to people not believing in the goodness of this cannabinoid as they do not get to appreciate the health benefits of CBD consumption.
There is also the argument of full spectrum vs. CBD isolate. Full spectrum, extracted from the cannabis plant, contains other cannabinoids, just a very, very low amount of THC (under 0.2% is the accepted limit in the UK at the moment), giving it the added benefit of the entourage effect, where the sum of the benefits is better than the component cannabinoids bring themselves. However the flip side of this is that the small amounts of cannabinoids in the full spectrum CBD oil may show up on drugs tests.
CBD isolate, in comparison, is pure CBD, so lacks the other cannabinoids, their trace benefits, but also the positive drug test results.
In some High Street CBD products, you may not even know the source of the cannabidiol, but we believe it is more likely to be CBD isolate (unless stated otherwise on the product), to avoid potential future legal ramifications.
So if you are seeking a new product to get the benefits of CBD, you need to make sure the product is from the source you require (full spectrum or isolate), as well as whether the product and its consumption method actually allow for the cannabinoid to be absorbed into your system in enough quantity to have a benefit.
So what can you do to get the benefits of CBD?
There are a number of reputable CBD companies who offer batch lab tests, allowing you to see the cannabinoid content of your product. In this day and age, with testing easily available for producers, this should really be an industry standard, although it isn’t.
We would actually recommend buying online from a CBD company with a good trading history, where you can see lab tests on their website and customer reviews on their products. While companies cannot legally advertise the benefits of CBD while selling CBD products, happy customers will often be more than happy to share their experiences with the CBD product in question. You could als try looking online on CBD-related forums and threads for specific product feedback.
And next time you see a High Street CBD product ask yourself “am I going to get the benefits of CBD from this, or is it just using the term CBD to sell it to me?” and if it is the latter, we’d say just leave it on the shelves and save yourself some money.
CBD consumption methods
If you want the benefits of CBD we recommend consuming the oil, extracts or even the flowers which have been getting more and more enjoyable and flavoursome as of late.
The buds are still a legal grey area as far as sales go, although as a consumer you shouldn’t get in trouble for CBD bud unless it is mistaken for high THC cannabis. If this happens make sure you show them the product packaging, lab results and insist that they get it tested.
Whatever way you choose to consume your CBD, try to make sure you can see lab reports to know the level of CBD in your product.
What do you think of the ever-expanding CBD market? Tweet us your comments @ISMOKEMEDIA
Clearing up the myth that cannabis extract is a Class A drug in the United Kingdom
