Other pieces of advice

Besides looking out for toxins, consumers should also check COAs to see if a label’s specified CBD content is accurate. According to one study from Penn Medicine, 26 percent of surveyed products contained less CBD than the labels indicated, which could negate any intended health benefits. 70 percent of products actually contained more CBD, which has the potential to be dangerous.

Consumers should also pay attention to COAs because certain synthetic cannabinoids have been known to be extremely harmful. Synthetic CBD is often indistinguishable from the original substance and is not inherently dangerous, but a poison outbreak connected to synthetic cannabinoids once affected 52 people in Utah in 2017. These people ingested a compound called 4-CCB (which can be fatal), not actual CBD. There is no law requiring companies to disclose whether they use synthetic CBD or not, so buyers should be wary about what is in their products.

Something else consumers should keep in mind is that many experts agree that CBD works best when in conjunction with CBD. CBD on its own—often sold and labeled as “CBD isolate—does not provide as many benefits or as effectively as “full-spectrum” varieties. Companies often sell CBD isolate to avoid any THC legalities they are uncertain of or to minimize the likelihood of their products making customers test positive on a drug test, but a small amount of THC helps CBD interact with the body. There is also little research regarding how CBD interacts with other pharmaceutical drugs, so people taking medications should definitely consult with a pharmacist beforehand.

Consumers should also avoid any company that makes claims about its products’ effects. CBD should be used as a treatment for symptoms; it is not a cure for anything, so a company that says otherwise is dangerous. Lisa L. Gill ConsumerReports.org also advises consumers to learn what other label terms mean, such as how the CBD was extracted from the hemp plant (such as via CO2 or chemical solvents). It’s also necessary to avoid vaping products that include propylene glycol, which can turn into formaldehyde at high temperatures inside a vape pen. Formaldehyde can irritate the eyes and nose and increase the risk of cancer and other respiratory problems. Gill recommends using CBD vape pens that promote “solvent-free oils.”