Deception: All hemp-based products can’t be THC-Free!

Understanding the new lingo of the rapidly expanding CBD industry can be difficult.

There are countless marketing claims thrown around, some of which aren’t entirely truthful. One of the most frequent claims on CBD products is “THC-Free.” However, that doesn’t mean that there is absolutely zero THC in your CBD products!

The industry and legal standard for any CBD product is one that contains less than 0.3% THC by weight.

In order to determine if a product is under this legal THC limit, reputable CBD manufacturers test their products in a third-party lab to obtain a Certificate of Analysis (COA) which details specific concentrations of cannabinoids in the product. You can often request to see this report on a company’s website.

Hemp oil can contain trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC. However, in order to better understand why there are trace amounts of THC found in CBD products you must first look at how it is made.

Cannabinoid containing oils is made by using a strain of the hemp plant that has a high CBD content and a low THC content. The reason for this is because tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been shown to counteract the medicinal benefits of CBD in instances of high ratio differences (i.e. very high THC count versus low CBD). Therefore, only specific strains can be used for production.

While there are several methods used to obtain the oils, typically manufacturers use a process called CO2 supercritical extraction. CO2 extraction is a method in which carbon dioxide is used to pull CBD and other properties found within the plants and separate it out into a usable concentrate. The oil is then filtered through various chambers under low temperatures and high pressure to ensure that the final product is of the purest oil available; meaning no other extracts found in plants such as chlorophyll.

Nothing is foolproof though, and during the process, minimal amounts of THC can be leftover. So, while hemp oil can contain trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (less than .3%), it is not enough to give the user any of the side effects they would experience if they were to use other cannabis products, specifically, the psychoactive responses such as feeling “high”.

As of just recently, very few CBD hemp oil manufacturers have developed a hemp oil product that is 100 percent THC free or Zero THC. After the oil is extracted from the stalks and seed of hemp plants, producers isolate CBD compounds.

This process eliminates the THC and all other plant constituents, leaving pure CBD.

Some manufacturers blend isolated cannabinoids with wholesome liquid oils containing fatty acids for easy administration and to help improve absorption which is why you’ll often see CBD oil carried in other oil like coconut.

Deception: All hemp-based products can’t be THC-Free!