CBD products have taken the world by storm over the last few years, as this once niche product has become a mainstay of many people’s food supplement arsenal. As CBD has gained awareness and popularity, it has become available in a variety of different forms. CBD can be eaten, vaped, applied to the skin, or ingested in myriad ways. However, some methods are more discrete than others, and few are more discrete than CBD gummies. Unfortunately, buying them can be a minefield if you don’t know what you’re doing.
What are CBD Gummies?
When CBD first became widely available in the US, retailers mainly sold it in the form of an E-liquid or vape juice. These liquids were designed to be vaporized and inhaled, delivering the CBD within to the user’s bloodstream quickly and efficiently. While this was fine for many users, it also meant CBD couldn’t be administered anywhere vaping wasn’t allowed. It also meant that anyone wanting to use CBD also needed to invest in a suitable vaporizer.
Since then, a plethora of CBD-containing products has come out that utilize much more convenient delivery methods. One of these is CBD gummies, edible candies infused with cannabidiol oil. Like regular gummies, they come in all manner of flavors, shapes, and sizes. CBD gummies can be taken easily anywhere and anytime.
Like other readily available CBD products, CBD gummies are not currently approved or regulated by the FDA. That means users will need to do their own due diligence to ensure they purchase legitimate products of good quality.
Below are the 5 things you should always consider before buying CBD gummies.
1. The quality of the ingredients
Because the FDA does not regulate the sale of CBD-containing products sold as food supplements, it’s up to individual wholesalers to ensure they are supplying retailers and manufacturers with quality materials. Knowing precisely what ingredients have gone into CBD gummies and where they’ve come from will tell you whether the product is good quality or not.
Fortunately, manufacturers usually print most of this information on the product labels attached to each item. You can also find lab reports on the websites of many suppliers, retailers, and wholesalers. Most legitimate CBD businesses are eager to demonstrate that they have a legitimate and verifiable supply chain in place, and reputable manufacturers often share data from their wholesalers so their customers know exactly what they’re getting.
If you have any allergies or sensitivities, it’s always worth double-checking the ingredients of any edible CBD products to ensure they’re safe for you to eat.
2. The type of CBD used
Some people find CBD effective in treating various health conditions, while others have noticed little or no benefit. This could be, at least in part, down to the different types of CBD used.
There are three methods used to extract CBD from cannabis or hemp plants; full-spectrum extracts, isolate, and broad-spectrum extracts. Full-spectrum extracts contain CBD and include other alkaloids, such as THC, found within cannabis plants. Just about every compound contained in the parent plant is represented in the full-spectrum extract, albeit at relatively low concentrations. Full-spectrum extracts that contain THC don’t usually have enough to produce any kind of high, but if you’re concerned about this, you should speak to the supplier before ordering.
Isolate consists of 99%+ CBD. This is the purest form of CBD you can get.
Broad-spectrum extracts contain CBD and other cannabinoids but not THC. If the parent plant contains THC, it is removed the final product. None of these types is better than the others, but some people report differing results from each of them. Therefore, it’s always worth noting what kind of CBD extract your products contain so you can work out which one is most effective for you.
3. THC concentration
THC is the compound in the cannabis plant that produces its recreational effects when ingested. Marijuana plants are legally defined in the US as cannabis plants that contain more than 0.3% THC by dry weight, usually much more. Meanwhile, hemp plants are cannabis plants that contain up to 0.3% THC, much too little to produce any kind of high.
With recreational cannabis use now legal across much of the USA, it’s essential to ensure that the gummies you’re buying only contain CBD. There are plenty of cannabis gummies available that include both THC and CBD, and they are perfectly safe to use. You wouldn’t want to ingest one unwittingly, though.
4. Be skeptical of medical claims
There is only one FDA-approved CBD product available as a medical drug. Epidolex contains pharmaceutically pure cannabidiol and is sometimes prescribed to treat certain seizures (note that this does not mean CBD products, in general, should be used to treat seizures). However, there are many claims floating around regarding CBD’s purported health benefits, and some manufacturers of CBD products put these at the front and center of their marketing.
However, while CBD appears to be very safe and well-tolerated amongst the general population, and there are many anecdotal reports of individuals successfully treating various conditions using CBD products, the science is far from settled. As things currently stand, there’s no scientific consensus on whether CBD is an effective treatment for any health condition. Therefore, brands that promote CBD products as medical treatments should be avoided.
5. Price and brand
One of the great things about the internet is that it makes it easy to find out more about any business or brand you come across. Don’t order any CBD products until you have vetted the brand on the packaging. There are several online communities dedicated to reviewing CBD and other cannabis-related products. These are an excellent resource for finding out other people’s experiences of using CBD gummies before you buy them.
You shouldn’t be surprised that the best quality brands tend to be the ones charging the highest prices. So if you come across any listings that seem unrealistically inexpensive, it’s usually best to avoid them.
Gummies are one of the simplest and most convenient ways to ingest CBD and one of the most discrete. As long as you stick to the advice outlined above, you should have no trouble finding the right gummies for your needs. Always remember the check the ingredients and the dose per unit before consuming CBD products.
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