What is a Lab Report for CBD?
A lab report is also known as a
Certificate of Analysis, and these terms are often used interchangeably. They
refer to the same thing: An independent analysis of what is in a company’s CBD.
Why Does a Lab Report Matter?
Unfortunately, some CBD vendors are less than honest. Prior studies
have noted that CBD vendors can lie about what is in their products.
This issue is made worse by the fact that the federal
government does not currently conduct any inspecting of CBD labels. This makes
it far, far too easy for a dishonest CBD vendor to lie about what is in their
product. That’s why a third party lab analysis is so important.
What is in a Lab Report?
There are a few pieces of information in every CBD lab
report that you should understand. These include:
- Product Information: Name, batch number, expiration date, and potentially other information. This will confirm that the lab report you are looking at was done for the batch that you are buying.
- Cannabinoids: This part will tell you what levels of cannabinoids are detected in the product. This includes Delta-9-THC, CBD, and more.
- Solvents or Microbials: In the course of manufacturing a product, potentially harmful solvents can sometimes enter a CBD batch. These levels should be below a threshold that is set by the lab report.
In all categories, the level of solvents should be listed as
"none detected" or "passed," which would indicate that the
solvents are below safe levels.
How Can You Confirm That a Product is Full Spectrum?
All Full-Spectrum CBD contains at least some Delta-9-THC.
This is the difference between a Full and Broad Spectrum CBD product.
If sold commercially in the United States, CBD should have
no more than .03% THC. As such, under Delta-9-THC, you should have a value that
is greater than zero, but lower than .03%.