REWARDS
CBD is paving a path for a new era of human health and wellness. Formally regarded as cannabidiol, CBD is relieving people of pain and anxiety from labor intensive work and stress. It is helping women better cope with hormonal changes during menstruation and menopause. It is helping athletes reach peak performance, and it is easing pet anxiety commonly found in hyper or anxious dogs.
With CBD growing in popularity, this means there are many people and companies out there who are taking advantage of the uneducated consumer. How are they doing this? Through misleading marketing and advertising practices – aka fancy jargon that can result in you, the consumer, being left with an inferior or ineffective, or worse, unsafe, CBD product.
So, whether you are new to CBD or have been taking it long enough to know it works, there are certain things you need to know before hitting “purchase” on your CBD oil, vape pen, or other product.
How do you know if you are getting the real thing or getting ripped off?
Take these 5 things into serious consideration while out CBD shopping.
1. Bigger bottles = red flag
Bigger is not better in this case. The size of a bottle of CBD oil has little to do with the actual amount of CBD in the product.
Companies using vague terms like “high potency” or “strongest” are doing everything in their power to cover up the fact that there is very little CBD contained. CBD products sold by reputable retailers will specify the exact amount of milligrams of CBD included.
2. Lower price doesn’t mean a better deal
Conversely, a lower price typically means a low concentration of CBD. If you stumble across a CBD product that is priced drastically lower than other products, that doesn’t mean you’re getting a secret deal. It means you’re getting scammed.
Rule of thumb: Just because a product claims to have CBD does not mean there is enough CBD contained to be of any value to you.
Good quality CBD doesn’t come cheap due to a number of important factors, and until new research develops and laws change, that will remain the case. Your health is worth the price, so spend it wisely on reputable CBD brands.
3. Can the company prove the quality of their product?
Every CBD retailer should have proof of their manufacturing processes clearly stated on their websites or through brochures if you are in a physical CBD store or health food shop. Many reputable brands will also provide 3rd party lab testing results.
4. Check the Ingredients on the label
Ingredients on a CBD product label or listed on the website should be clearly indicated and easy to find. If a CBD company or retailer does not state the ingredients of the product, be wary.
If a company is proud of their CBD product line, they will have no problem telling you exactly what is in the bottle.
Furthermore, reputable companies selling CBD, especially for medical purposes, always post the lab testings on their websites. This shows consumers results of third party tests or even tests the company performs themselves to ensure CBD is in fact CBD. You can often times see this on the packaging of the product.
5. Buying CBD from Amazon or eBay is a bad idea
We know. Amazon and eBay are almost too convenient for getting anything and everything we want with a snap of our fingers, but CBD is not something you want to buy from these big box companies.
Why not? Amazon and eBay don’t allow pure CBD products to be sold through their platforms. So while CBD products will pop up in the search engine of these websites, most of them are not genuine and probably only contain a very small amount of CBD.
So when you think you’re getting a deal on a bottle of CBD oil that’s priced at $19.99, you would actually just be wasting your money on a placebo product that you have no idea what’s inside because the label will say something generic like, “made with the finest hemp ingredients.”
Scammers are lurking everywhere, so even if it’s a brand you know and trust, it is better to buy from the brand directly or a reputable and responsible retailer.
In summary, the old rule of thumb “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” definitely applies to buying CBD. Red flags like extra low prices, extra large amounts, no ingredients list, or no quality testing information are all things to watch out for when shopping for CBD. Avoid CBD scams by always buying from reputable brands and retailers.