Many consumers have questions about the trace amounts of THC found in CBD oils and with that in mind we wanted to break it down here.
Following the recent study of the UK CBD market by the Centre for Medical Cannabis there have been various headlines about illegal levels of THC in CBD oils followed by calls for extra regulation. Food standards regulations already apply to any product sold for human consumption, so lets look at how much THC the average CBD oil user is getting into their system.
The CMC study found the average THC content of 30 different CBD oils on the UK market to be 0.04%, in a 10ml bottle containing 5% CBD (500mg). This equals an average of 4mg THC per bottle.
The study also found the average consumer is spending £25 per month, while those 'with a presumed medically orientated usage' spending on average £55 per month. Of the various priced products ranging from extracts to edibles on the market, you could say the average user (at £25) is consuming around 300mg CBD (and 2.4mg THC) per month, and the 'presumed medically orientated user' (at £55) is consuming around 800mg CBD (and 6.4mg THC) per month.
Lets give that some perspective.
When hemp seed oil was reintroduced for human consumption in the mid 90's, it was not uncommon find seed oils to contain in excess of 100ppm THC, from both European and Chinese origin.
100ppm THC in a 1 litre bottle = 100mg THC.
Extra care and attention to the seed washing process have been implemented since, and washed hemp seeds can now be expected to contain around 5-10ppm THC, which can be reduced to around 3ppm when dehulled.
3ppm in 1kg = 3mg THC.
Based on a review of the available studies, the Swiss government set its limit for THC in hemp seed oil at 50ppm.
50ppm in 1 litre = 50mg THC.