Yet another study has indicated many manufacturers of unregulated cannabidiol products need to lift their game on quality control.
Researchers from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine evaluated CBD content in 80 commercially available hemp-derived products purchased from online and local retailers. One registered product, Epidiolex, was also included as a positive control.
Of the 80 products examined, 37 (46.2%) contained CBD concentrations at least ± 10% different than what was noted on the label. 12 products (15%) contained < 90%, while 25 products (31.2%) contained >110%. 44 of the products were purchased from USA-based online retailers, with the remainder from local retailers within Central Kentucky.
Based on these findings, the researchers advise consumers to be wary of unregulated CBD products due to the risks of taking too much CBD, or too little. The former can cause issues with increased side effects and drug-drug interactions, while the latter could mean no therapeutic benefit may be experienced due to under-dosing.
“These data suggest that additional regulation is required to ensure label accuracy as nearly half of the products in this study were not properly labelled (i.e., not within a ± 10% margin of error),” they state. “As consumers are taking CBD products for an ever-increasing range of conditions, independent of medical guidance, the accuracy of content labelling is important for the safety of the consumer.”
The findings were published in the Journal of Cannabis Research, which can be viewed in full here.
This is by no means the first study to flag CBD labelling issues – others have arrived at similar findings. Among other research, in April we reported on a study of cannabidiol based sleep aids that found just over half of the products containing CBD had inaccurate levels – and in some cases, other issues.
Quality concerns will likely persist until the US FDA finally implements regulations for CBD, something it has been pushed to do for some years now. And as research rolls in regarding the safety and efficacy of cannabidiol, it will have fewer excuses to delay getting regulations in place and start ejecting more cowboys from the industry.
