Could there be pesticides and other toxins in some CBD oil products?
Cannabis has long been grown with the aid of large quantities of pesticides, many of which are also associated with cancer or other severe health effects (1).
For illicit growers or those with little knowledge of other methods and no regulatory oversight, it is easier and cheaper to spraypesticides(2).
Meanwhile, the average consumer is often left with nothing more than vague assurances of safety from sellers and regulators.
Most consumers have a general assumption that if something is on a shelf and for sale, and buyers are paying sales tax, then the products are safe, says Jill Lamoureux, a Colorado-based grower, cannabis consultant, and entrepreneur.
The states are using pesticides arbitrarily, and it is not backed by science at all (3).
Although consumers may feel some consolation that any pesticide regulations are better than none, they are still unsure if the CBD oil product they purchased is clean enough or genuinely safe.
As states continue to experiment with policy, public health hangs in the balance (4).
Diluting vs. Removing Contaminants
Dilution is the process of adding more solvent to a solution to decrease its concentration, and it is a common practice within the cannabidiol (CBD) industry.
While this process is sometimes used to create products with varying potency, other times, it is used to make hemp oil comply with the law. Some manufacturers use dilution to keep THC levels under the legal limit.
However, consumers should also be aware that other manufacturers may take advantage of this technique to conceal high levels of toxins, such as pesticides and heavy metals.
Contaminants, like pesticides, must be removed not diluted.
Pesticide Regulation
Using instruments, each costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, trained technicians take high-precision measurements of moisture content, potency, residual solvents, mycotoxins, heavy metals, microbial impurities, and pesticides.
Products that do not meet state standards cannot be sold legally (5).
Until this point, however, there has been no federal regulation on pesticides in industrial hemp, according to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (6).
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for setting tolerance limits for pesticides on foods and commodities (7).
However, because hemp was only approved recently as an agricultural commodity under the 2018 Farm Bill, the EPA has not yet officially accepted pesticides specifically for use on hemp (8).
Then, on August 21, 2019, the EPA released a statement to obtain the public’s opinion on expanding the use of ten existing pesticides for application on industrial hemp (9).
This expansion is part of the commercial legalization of the hemp process outlined in the 2018 Farm Bill.
The EPA is actively taking the necessary steps to roll out guidelines on pesticide use for the hemp industry, as it begins its expansion in 2020.
Pesticide approval and regulation is good news for farmers and consumers alike, as it eliminates dangerous, and sometimes lethal, pesticides.
However, the approved pesticides are still of concern if the residue amount exceeds the tolerance limits established.
State-Required Testing
The state-required testing for CBD often focuses only on hemp while the plants are still growing in the field or after they are harvested, says Jonathan Miller, legal counsel of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a group of over 60 CBD companies in the United States.
The test is meant to make sure that the plants have low levels of THC, (0.3% or less) (10).
Only a few states require some additional testing. Colorado, for instance, requires manufacturers that add CBD to food to make sure that the THC levels are kept below the 0.3% cutoff.
Growers must test the first CBD hemp extract, which is later added to consumer products such as tincture, oil, or edibles.
The test should not be only for CBD and THC levels but also for contaminants, such as pesticides and residues of the chemical solvents often used to extract CBD from hemp(11).
Look for the COA
When buying CBD products, one vital thing to look for in CBD products to ensure its high quality is certification codes. Certification authorities approve products only after some thorough screening tests.
A certificate of analysis (COA) is a third-party lab report regarding the contents of a product.
In the case of CBD oil, for example, a COA should include the potency of each component in a full spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes contained in the hemp plant extract. Other tested compounds, such as pesticides, mold, and heavy metals, must also be reflected in the report.
Reputable CBD manufacturers make their COAs readily available to their customers, promoting transparency and consumer confidence.
McPartland JM, McKernan KJ.2017. Chapter 22: Contaminants of concern in cannabis: microbes, heavy metals and pesticides. In: Cannabis sativa L.—Botany and Biotechnology. Chandra S, Lata H, ElSohly MA, eds. Cham, Switzerland:Springer; Dryburgh LM, Bolan NS, Grof CPL, Galettis P, Schneider J, Lucas CJ, et al.2018. Cannabis contaminants: sources, distribution, human toxicity and pharmacologic effects. Br J Clin Pharmacol 84(11):2468–2476, PMID: 29953631, 10.1111/bcp.13695; Russo EB. 2016. Current therapeutic cannabis controversies and clinical trial design issues. Front Pharmacol 7:309, PMID: 27683558, 10.3389/fphar.2016.00309; Voelker R, Holmes M. 2015. Pesticide Use on Cannabis. Cannabis Safety Institute. https://cannabissafetyinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/CSI-Pesticides-White-Paper.pdf [accessed 4 March 2019].
Kimberly Langdon, MD is a retired, board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist with 19-years of clinical experience. She graduated from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, earning Honors in many rotations. She then completed her OB/GYN residency program at The Ohio State University...
Spruce is a family-owned business based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. The company was founded in 2018 in the belief that modern medicine is broken and that there is a need for alternatives to dangerous pharmaceuticals. Spruce’s lab-grade CBD oil is 100% natural and tested by a third-party lab in...
Why People Are Taking CBD for High Blood Pressure? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), high blood pressure can harden the arteries, which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart, leading to heart disease(5). In a 2015 study conducted by researchers from the...
Why Some People are Using CBD for Dogs with Cancer? An article posted by the American Kennel Club (AKC) says that there is no conclusive scientific data on using cannabidiol (CBD) to treat dogs specifically. However, there is anecdotal evidence from dog owners suggesting that CBD can help with neuropathic...
SabaiDee CBD products are tested both in-house and by independent laboratories to verify the quality of every batch. Their products all come with SabaiDee’s Happiness Guarantee.
As medical cannabis products have become more popular, people are turning to them to treat everything from anxiety to depression to chronic pain. Individuals who are suffering from neuropathy may show interest in trying CBD oil. What Is CBD? CBD comes from a plant that is part of the Cannabaceae...
Why People are Turning to CBD for Children with Anxiety? CBD has become a popular OTC treatment that parents give their children, says Doris Trauner, M.D., professor of neurosciences and pediatrics at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and a physician at San Diego’s Rady Children’s Hospital....
Kimberly Langdon, MD is a retired, board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist with 19-years of clinical experience. She graduated from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, earning Honors in many rotations. She then completed her OB/GYN residency program at The Ohio State University...
Spruce is a family-owned business based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. The company was founded in 2018 in the belief that modern medicine is broken and that there is a need for alternatives to dangerous pharmaceuticals. Spruce’s lab-grade CBD oil is 100% natural and tested by a third-party lab in...
Why People Are Taking CBD for High Blood Pressure? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), high blood pressure can harden the arteries, which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart, leading to heart disease(5). In a 2015 study conducted by researchers from the...
Why Some People are Using CBD for Dogs with Cancer? An article posted by the American Kennel Club (AKC) says that there is no conclusive scientific data on using cannabidiol (CBD) to treat dogs specifically. However, there is anecdotal evidence from dog owners suggesting that CBD can help with neuropathic...
SabaiDee CBD products are tested both in-house and by independent laboratories to verify the quality of every batch. Their products all come with SabaiDee’s Happiness Guarantee.
As medical cannabis products have become more popular, people are turning to them to treat everything from anxiety to depression to chronic pain. Individuals who are suffering from neuropathy may show interest in trying CBD oil. What Is CBD? CBD comes from a plant that is part of the Cannabaceae...
Why People are Turning to CBD for Children with Anxiety? CBD has become a popular OTC treatment that parents give their children, says Doris Trauner, M.D., professor of neurosciences and pediatrics at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and a physician at San Diego’s Rady Children’s Hospital....
Why People Are Taking CBD for High Blood Pressure? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), high blood pressure can harden the arteries, which decreases the flow
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Just as CBD oil provides numerous benefits for humans, it can also help dogs experience relief from a range of conditions. Pet owners may consider using CBD for dogs if
Why People are Turning to CBD for Children with Anxiety? CBD has become a popular OTC treatment that parents give their children, says Doris Trauner, M.D., professor of neurosciences and
Data from a 2016 study in The European Journal of Pain indicated that the topical application of CBD had the potential to relieve arthritis pain-related behaviors and inflammation in animal
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Spruce is a family-owned business based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. The company was founded in 2018 in the belief that modern medicine is broken and that there is a
Why Some People are Using CBD for Dogs with Cancer? An article posted by the American Kennel Club (AKC) says that there is no conclusive scientific data on using cannabidiol
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