Add to Cart – TIPS

1. Buy online OR in trusted stores

If you’re buying CBD at a gas station, convenience store, or surf shop, you’re gambling with your money and health.   Most of the lowest-performing products were purchased at stores that specialize in something other than health and wellness products. Like wetsuits. Or gasoline, corn dogs, and jo-jo fries. Products purchased online directly from a manufacturer’s website or from national drugstores consistently deliver the amount of CBD promised on the label.

2. Testing  

Green Compass tincture: Scan the QR code.

Any brand can claim that their products are tested. Only brands that link to third-party test results offer actual proof of potency and purity. “Third-party” means an independent lab carried out the test.

Some of the best products print a QR code on their packaging—scanning it should bring up third-party test results for the batch from which the product was taken.

Rumor mill and research found that the highest-performing CBD products tended to be made by companies experienced in legal cannabis. Look for brands based in early legalization. They work with the best cannabis and hemp growers and have the best oil extraction technology. They aren’t in it to turn a quick buck—they’re working to become the trusted brands in the market.

ICYMI – The Green Compass Founders started out as licensed participants in North Carolina’s Industrial Hemp Pilot Research Program as part of N.C.General Assembly passed Senate Bill 313 in 2014. They are 6th generation farmers who support North Carolina farmers, distribute hemp seeds to local farmers, teach them how to grow the crop to our standards, and buy produce from them.

Look at the packaging design. Does it seem like a product you’d find in a pharmacy, or does it look more like a box of sugary children’s cereal? Products packaged like medicine or vitamins have a higher likelihood of delivering the CBD promised on the label. Avoid rainbow colors, cannabis leaves, and fonts more appropriate for Now That’s What I Call Music! #103.

5. Organic sourcing is a good sign

If someone’s going to the effort of sourcing certified organic ingredients, chances are good that all the other ingredients [and the potency] are being thought through as well.

The USDA Organic seal is one of the most recognized certifications among US consumers and provides another level of assurance to shoppers who may be concerned about the safety of CBD products.

In addition to assuring that no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides have been used in the cultivation of hemp, the USDA organic certification ensures that farmers are using tillage and cultivation practices that maintain or improve the condition of soil and minimize soil erosion through crop rotations, cover crops and the application of plant and animal materials.

When it comes to CBD products, a little common sense goes a long way. Producing a quality CBD product is difficult and expensive. If you’re buying the cheapest CBD you can find, you may not be receiving any CBD at all.