New Study Shows That Many CBD Products Advertise Inaccurate Potency

A new study on cannabidiol (CBD) products across the country has shown that a considerable amount of the available products would have problems with the legal cannabis potency regulations. The study found that around 27% of the products had differences in their ‘potency vs potency claims’ and it found that those same products would not pass the standard for products permitted to be sold.  

About The CBD Study

Leafreport partnered up with Las Vegas’ Canalysis Laboratories in order to check whether CBD products contain as much as they claim to. The results displayed that 10 out of 37 products did not contain as much CBD as they have stated. 

The researchers rated the CBD stated on the label against that measured by technicians from Canalysis Laboratories. The cannabis industry experts agree that 10% invariance is an acceptable amount and that good-quality CBD products are expected to contain 90-110% of what is stated on the label. 

How the Study Graded Products:

1. Excellent: 27 of the products had a discrepancy of 10% and less in CBD quantity. 
2. Decent to Poor: 5 of the products contained 20-30% more CBD than they claimed. 
3. Fail: 5 of the products had a discrepancy of more than 30%. With 2 of them containing less and 3 of them containing more CBD.

The study also found that the products which tested best were from popular and reputable brands as opposed to the lesser-known companies which performed more poorly.  Fortunately, most of the products will likely contain more CBD than what is advertised. 

Lazarus Naturals, CBDistillery, cbdMD, CBDfx, and Green Roads are some of the brands which yielded the best results. These brands also provide the accuracy and transparency of their products and their company. 

“Actually, when we conducted the study, we expected to see worse results. We thought we would see a lot of products that have a larger variance than 10 percent, which is the acceptable variance. Most of the products really had an acceptable variance, except for ten. So for us, we find that the market has matured and that brands really do take care to be conscious of the CBD in their products” said Leafreport.

Despite yielding dominantly promising results, having 27% of the products with unacceptable variances is still cause for concern. Especially if the consumer is new to the market, or has a limited knowledge base on cannabis brands and products.  

The cannabis industry is notorious for its lack of transparency which is why Leafreport is on a mission to change that and to educate cannabis consumers. The CBD industry has already come a long way in terms of the quality and quantities of cannabinoids in the products. Many brands have even taken to sending their products for third-party testing in order to assure their quality and accuracy.  

Third-Party Lab Testing Explained:

Third-party lab tests are performed by unaffiliated and independent laboratories, which provide objectivity. These tests are important for confirming the potency, accuracy, and safety of the product being tested. The most common and important tests done on CBD products include a cannabinoid profile test and a potency test. These tests will identify how much of what cannabinoid is in the plant in comparison to the label. 

These tests are important because a product with less CBD than claimed is likely to be less effective, a product containing too much more could bring on unwanted effects and these tests help make sure that consumers are getting their money’s worth. 

Many Americans wrongly believe that the CBD in products is regulated by the FDA. At this point in time, the FDA still needs to produce the manner in which they will regulate CBD businesses and the FDA has only approved Epidiolex thus far. The FDA wants research to be done in order for them to approve more cannabis-derived products.

 Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you stick to buying from reputable CBD brands, in order to assure the quality and accuracy of the product you’re purchasing. Leafreport also urges consumers not to be seduced by lower prices from unknown or new brands. It is for your benefit to rather pay a little extra for quality and accuracy.