“Does my CBD contains THC in it?” It is the most frequently asked question when consuming CBD oil. People nowadays are very skeptical about the authenticity of the products they are consuming for alleviating the ailment. The answer to this question cannot be given in a single word.
But still, to cut the curiosity, for the time being, the answer is YES!!
Buyers have always been worried about buying CBD oil, which contains THC because they do not want to consume more than the prescribed limit of THC because of its ability to make you high. The companies always do not do what, and they say and mostly end up adding more amount of THC in products.
CBD oil does contain a small amount of THC, which is not more than 0.3%. There are even CBD oils in the market which contain zero or non-detect THC levels, but before going into that detail, we must know that we obtain cannabidiol or CBD.
CBD obtained from Hemp vs. Marijuana
CBD derived from marijuana is not legal. CBD oil can be obtained from marijuana as well as hemp. The cultivation of hemp for CBD oil is legal and approved under the federal law, but it must not contain more than 0.3% of THC.
Hemp contains a high concentration of CBD, but low content of THC Marijuana contains a high content of THC but a low concentration of CBD.
Difference between CBD and THC
Both of the compounds interact with our body’s Endocannabinoid System via Endocannabinoid receptors. These receptors are found in our body and are responsible for controlling our mood, appetite, memory, and other things.
The not very famous tetrahydrocannabinol or THC found in marijuana is notorious for its euphoric effect. It acts by binding to endocannabinoid receptors and making the person high.
CBD is also found to prevent the action fo THC by binding to CB1 receptors and by canceling the effect of THC. So the biggest difference between both compounds can be that CBD does not contain intoxicating properties.
What does it mean that CBD products are free of THC?
CBD market is rapidly expanding, and the marketers are coming up with new speculations every day. One of the common is that CBD oil contains no THC or CBD oil is free from THC. However, the exact definition does not support this assertion.
The legal concentration of THC allowed in any CBD product, or CBD oil is 0.3%. This means that per every 1000 parts of CBD oil, three parts will be of THC.
To make sure that CBD has the exact amount of THC present in it, many big and reputable companies dealing in CBD has recruited third parties, which are supposed to analyze the THC content and issue a COA, or Certificate of Analysis.
What is ND THC?
Non-detect THC products are also gaining popularity among users. Some companies are making CBD oil with ND THC, which means that such oil contains non-detect levels of THC. They are prepared by molecular distillation technology while retaining terpenes and other minor cannabinoids.
Such a product is required for the formulation of other products. These are prepared on the demand of the user as they require non-detect levels of THC in their formulation, but naturally occurring pigments like lipids, fats, and waxes are retained in CBD.
We have an example of Imperial oil contains 90% of CBD oil, terpenes, and other cannabinoids and non-detect levels of THC. Another product that has non-detect levels of THC is broad-spectrum CBD distillate by Ecogen Labs.
These contain such a negligible amount of THC, that even the sensitive instruments available in the market are unable to detect the THC levels in the formulation.
How to tell if a product contains no THC?
There are some oils available in the market which contains somewhat 85% of CBD by weight along with non-detect THC and THCV or Tetrahydrocannabivarin, which is a homologue of THC, trace amounts of Cannabidivarin and Cannabigerol.
An example of such oil can be CBD oil by Kazmir which sells premium CBD products.
So when Kazmir oil was subjected to test in the laboratory, the results concluded that this oil does not contain any THC, which means that it is THC free. However, the legal value allowed for THC is not zero; instead, it is 0.3% by weight or below.
Kazmir oil is used in the formulation of gummies and tinctures, which often contain a detectable amount of THC in them. Then there come full-spectrum CBD products that contain lower than 0.3% of THC in them. Full-spectrum usually denotes such products which are either THC free or contains non-detect levels of THC.
So, whenever buying any product, do not solely rely on the label, because sometimes the product might say full-spectrum CBD oil but may end up having more than 0.3% of THC in it.
How much THC is present in my CBD product?
CBD consumption does not remain constant; rather it keeps on changing due to personal preferences of misleading instructions from the manufacturers.
Some research documents suggest taking doses of CBD ranging between 5mg to over 1000mg, but CBD oil is consumed dropwise. The dosage for CBD oil ranges from a few milliliters to 30ml, depending on the desires that individuals want to seek. Even at these ranges, CBD is unable to produce any toxic effect.
Let us quickly examine that how much amount of THC may be ingested if we consume half or a full bottle of 30 ml CBD oil.
Let’s suppose a tincture which was analyzed by a third party indicated that it contains about 0.24 wt% of THC and represents full-spectrum CBD. This amount is equal to almost to 35.1 mg of THC in a half bottle and about 70.2 mg of THC in a full bottle of 30 ml oil. This amount is way more than enough to intoxicate the consumer and produce psychoactive effects.
So, how did we find that 0.24 wt% of THC contains 70.2mg of THC in a 30 ml bottle? First of all, we will figure out how much THC is present in a 100 ml bottle.
0.24g/100mL x 1000 = 240mg/100mL = 2.4mg/mL is present per 100 ml.-A
The density of H20 is 1g/ml, but the density of oil varies between 0.84g/ml to 0.96g/ml, depending on the viscosity and type of oil. So we will not find a difference in viscosity by:
2.4mg/mL x 97.5% = 2.34mg/mL-B
Now to find the amount of THC present in a 30ml bottle, we will multiply B with 30.
2.34mg/mL x 30mL = 70.2mg of THC in 30ml bottle
So a full bottle contains 70.2 mg of THC whereas the half bottle contains:
70.2mg/2= 35.1mg of THC in 15ml bottle
70.2 mg of THC in a 30 ml bottle of CBD oil is within the allowed limit. Oil with this concentration of THC is mostly sold in the market as Full spectrum CBD oil.
However, this is a significant quantity of THC, which is consumed in smaller doses, but it has the potential of producing some psychoactive effects when consumed all at once or in higher doses.
How much THC is in my CBD oil?
The typical method that most people use is by taking small amounts of CBD oil or products initially and then gradually increasing it if they do not experience any side effects.
People might want to start with 3 mg to 5 mg initially and then increasing it to 10 mg. They can continue to increase the dose until they get the desired effects they are looking for.
But this is not a conventional method for most of the people out there. So by taking into account this, there are CBD dosage calculators that enable the consumer to check their THC amount before taking their CBD dose. The good thing about this calculator is that you can select the dose based on your body weight, ailment, and severity of the disease.
Why do people talk about THC content in CBD oil if THC and CBD are two different compounds?
People are always worried about THC content in CBD oil because they both are two different compounds. They both are the two most important or distinct compounds found in the Cannabis plant. Marijuana and Hemp plants both produce CBD and THC.
But Marijuana contains a higher concentration of THC, whereas Hemp contains a higher concentration of CBD.
On average, Marijuana flower can contain up to 12% of THC, while CBD oil has a smaller amount of THC in it because it is derived from Hemp plant. CBD contains not more than 0.3% of THC which is in a complaint with the Federal Government’s prescribed limit.
What to take from this?
BD and THC both exert medical properties and are considered safe for use. However, it is always recommended to consult your doctor if you are taking any other medication with THC or CBD.
How to avoid buying fake CBD products having more than 0.3% THC?
The marketplace is swarmed with CBD products making the customers curious about their authenticity. Many sellers simply put up a decent label, but the reality is far more different; the product might not contain the desired amount of THC or contains in larger quantities of it. So, there are ways to avoid buying fake CBD products that contain more than 0.3% of THC in it.
- Read Reviews
Do not trust the seller blindly and buy products without investigating them. Before placing an order, go through the website, or simply search over google about the company. You will definitely end up finding some information about the manufacturer.
- Transparency
Manufacturers who disclose their CBD sources are always reliable. If a company did not disclose any detail about the plant sourcing, its extraction, or its manufacturing process, then it raises a red flag.
- Third-party reports
Reliable companies never hide anything from their customers. If the company did not provide any lab reports on their website, then there is something fishy.
Credible and reputable companies always have lab reports on their website, detailing rigorous testing the product has undergone.
