Given the meteoric rise in the popularity of CBD and how ubiquitous an Amazon Prime Account is these days, we wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve looked up for CBD products on Amazon.
A lot of shoppers browse the shopping behemoth for CBD oil, gummies and salves.
Much to their glee, they are greeted with hundreds of options on the search page with glowing customer reviews and colorful vials to boot. But upon careful inspection, you’ll find something strange with most of these listings.
While there are terms like ‘Hemp’, ‘Hemp Extract’ and ‘Full Spectrum’ all over these listings, there’s no mention anywhere of CBD.
Confused? So are a lot of others. Amazon has had a tumultuous relationship with CBD products since day one.
The fact that CBD’s legal status has largely been circumspect until recently, hasn’t helped either.
Amazon’s Drug and Drug Paraphernalia Policy
Amazon’s site policies list CBD products as ‘Drugs and Drug Paraphernalia’ despite it being legal to sell in all 50-states, with some catches of course.
The exact verbiage on Amazon is this:
‘Listings for products containing Cannabidiol (CBD) are prohibited, including but not limited to:
Full-spectrum hemp oil
Rich hemp oil
Products that have been identified as containing CBD by LegitScript’
This means that sellers can neither sell CBD, nor full spectrum Hemp oil on Amazon.
Further, any product identified by LegitScript, (which is a third-party certification service for pharmaceuticals and supplements) as containing Hemp or CBD is prohibited for sale.
Well, that’s pretty explicit.
How then do you explain the hundreds of ‘Hemp’ products listed on Amazon?
That’s the tricky part.
Despite the clear prohibition on the sale of CBD and Hemp products on Amazon, there are many sellers offering these very products for sale.
A quick search for CBD oil on Amazon gives us over ‘3000’ listings as of today, starting with Hemp Balm, Hemp oil, Hemp oil capsules and Tincture among others.
How do they manage to circumvent Amazon’s stringent listing policies?
To be honest, we just don’t know. Is Amazon unaware of this or maybe they are just choosing to ignore it? We don’t know.
What is known though, is that Amazon is notorious for removing listings and suspending accounts that they believe are in violation of their site policies.
Some of the products that are available for purchase today may disappear in the blink of an eye.
What should be more concerning for shoppers is that some of these listings are misleading, intentionally or not.
While there’s no mention of CBD anywhere on the labels or in the description, the product labels often show the ‘Hemp leaf’, which may mislead people into believing that they contain CBD, since both Hemp oil and CBD are sourced from the same plant.
But they may not necessarily contain CBD.
CBD is a buzzword today for everything healthy and consumers don’t mind paying top dollar for CBD products that they believe can alleviate a variety of common ailments that they suffer from.
What’s stopping unscrupulous players from slapping the Hemp leaf on their product labels and selling it for exorbitant prices?
As a buyer, it is important to know the differences in these two.
Hemp Oil vs. CBD Oil
When the Industrial Farm Bill was passed in 2014 in the United States, it legalized the farming and production of Industrial Hemp and Hemp related products.
One of these products is CBD oil which is sourced from the leaves, flowers and the stalk of the Hemp plant.
- CBD or Cannabidiol is a Phyto (plant-derived) Cannabinoid, that is being associated with an enormous list of health benefits including chronic pain relief, treating anxiety, treating withdrawal symptoms, and even treating psychosis. Epidiolex is an FDA-approved anti-epileptic drug that is used to treat two severe forms of epilepsy that are extremely difficult to treat with conventional medicines.
- Hempseed oil is another product that is derived from the seeds of the same plant, not the leaves or the stalk. It is extremely rich in Omega-3, 6 & 9, protein and contains a range of other vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
However, the most important difference in the two is that Hemp seed oil does not contain CBD. Even if it does, it may only be trace amounts that will not be sufficient to provide any of the health benefits associated with CBD.
Pure CBD oil on the other hand can contain up to 20-30% of CBD, depending on the concentration.
This does not mean that Hempseed oil is not beneficial at all.
It has some amazing health benefits including reducing skin inflammation, as a moisturizer and may also be heart-healthy.
But it’s not CBD, nor does it provide the unique health benefits of CBD. It is primarily used in the F&B and skincare industries.
Any Hemp-based product on Amazon that even remotely hints that it contains CBD or offers the health benefits associated with CBD cannot be trusted.
In a nutshell, it might be an overpriced money grab.
Why is Amazon so stringent about CBD?
It is legal to buy, sell, and possess CBD-based products that are sourced from Industrial Hemp and contain less than 0.3% of THC.
But both Industrial Hemp and Marijuana or Pot, are classified under the same genus, which is Cannabis Sativa.
One is non-psychoactive but provides a wealth of health benefits, while the other’s claim to fame is that it will make you euphoric.
The conundrum for sites like Amazon is the genus that Hemp shares with Marijuana.
Moreover, the CBD industry is largely unregulated.
In a study conducted by Penn Medicine researcher that was published in Jama Network, it was found that 70% of the CBD products sold online are mislabeled. A lot of them contain more than 0.3% THC.
In a Hypothetical scenario, if Amazon were to allow sellers to list CBD products and even one of the products were found to contain more than 0.3% of THC, they will officially be selling Marijuana, which is a controlled substance in many states in the USA even today. (Barring a few where recreational Marijuana usage is legal)
At any given point of time, there are at least 650,000 products listed for sale on Amazon. It’s no wonder then that the company considers it a risk to allow CBD products to be sold.
Another factor that often confuses shoppers, or rather sways them into believing that the Hemp Oil bottle on Amazon may contain CBD is the customer reviews.
Some Hemp products on Amazon have five-star reviews that state how beneficial it was in helping reduce anxiety or in treating Insomnia.
Neither are properties associated with Hempseed oil or Hemp-based gummies. Both are classic CBD traits.
Well, this may either be the good old Placebo effect, or it may well be a product that actually contains CBD.
A lot of sellers list CBD products on Amazon as Hemp-based ones to stay under Amazon’s radar, which restricts anything with the ‘CBD’ term.
For example, a product that mentions that it contains ‘Full Spectrum Hemp Oil’ with 15mg per serving, may actually be hinting that the 15mg per serving is actually CBD.
This is a technique that was used by CBD manufacturers for years before CBD products became legal.
Cheeky, but effective.
But there’s no way to be sure unless you reach out to the seller and ask.
Given the convoluted nature of the business, they may or may not provide you with lab reports.
As a buyer, how do you know that you are getting what you are paying for?
Shopping for CBD on Amazon
All said and done, here are a few tips to help you navigate through the CBD landscape on Amazon and find products that genuinely contain CBD.
1. Analyze the product label
Does it mention ‘Hemp Extract’?
Chances are that it may be a CBD product disguised as Hemp.
CBD oil is extracted from the flowers, leaves, and stalk of Hemp using CO2 extraction or by using Ethanol. The solvent is later evaporated after the extraction process leaving behind pure CBD oil.
In essence, CBD oil is Hemp extract.
Labelling it this way allows sellers to circumvent Amazon’s policies and stay under their radar, while continuing to offer their products for sale to a global audience.
However, there’s a catch.
Just as it allows legitimate CBD products to be sold on Amazon, it also allows unscrupulous sellers to offer Hempseed oil labelled as Hemp extract for a steep price.
In other words, the term ‘Hemp Extract’ is not a foolproof way of finding CBD products on Amazon. However, it can be used as the first step for verifying that the product may contain CBD.
If the label mentions ‘Hempseed oil’ anywhere, it’s not CBD oil.
2. Is it expressed in Milligrams?
Hempseed oil itself is never expressed in Milligrams.
It will just be 100ml or 500ml or whatever the quantity of the bottle is.
CBD is expressed in milligrams and this information will be printed on the bottle.
It will most likely be under the ‘Supplement Facts’ section.
If you find a bottle of Hemp Oil or Hemp Extracts on Amazon that specifically mentions the milligram content in each serving, chances are that it’s the CBD content they are mentioning.
3. The Bottle
CBD oil is a highly concentrated form of the cannabinoid that is sold in small bottles measuring 1-2 oz.
The bottles are shipped with droppers that make it possible to micro-dose the oil according to your required use and your tolerance to it.
Pretty much like essential oils.
Hemp oil, on the other hand, is sold in much larger bottles, like Extra Virgin Olive oil.
It does not ship with a dropper because the oil is mostly used in cooking and in skincare where microdoses are not necessary.
4. Reach out to the seller
Last but not the least, you can always ask the seller.
Many Amazon sellers may choose not to respond directly to questions about CBD for obvious reasons.
But if they have a website (which any reputed seller or brand would), they will definitely have information about their products, including third-party lab reports about the exact concentration of CBD and THC.
Is buying CBD oil legal?
Yes, it is. As of April 2020, when we are writing this blog post, CBD is legal in all 50 states in America.
The 2018 update to the Farm Bill has removed CBD sourced from Industrial Hemp from the Schedule I substances list.
This means that you can buy and use CBD and CBD products from anywhere.
However, this doesn’t make it easy to shop for quality CBD products online.
Buyers have to be wary of mislabeled products, poor quality, snake-oil companies and of course, overpricing.
How to shop for CBD oil online
CBD is nothing short of a panacea currently.
This sudden spurt in popularity has led to hundreds of brands selling CBD products, mushrooming overnight.
They are all over the internet, particularly on social media peddling their wares. But it goes without saying that not all CBD products are made equal.
Hemp seed oil for example, is often labelled as an anxiety reliever or an Insomnia reliever. Not true!
The best place to buy CBD oil online is directly from the manufacturer.
Here are some tips that you can follow to ensure that the product that you are buying is legitimate.
- Third-party Testing: Any reputed CBD brand will offer third-party laboratory reports that test their products for safety and efficacy. Ideally, each new batch of product should be tested and the most recent test reports made available for customers to view and verify.
- Check the ingredients: Is it a CBD isolate oil, which is CBD mixed with any carrier oil, like Coconut oil or even Hemp seed oil? Or is it full-spectrum CBD oil which is CBD oil along with terpenes, flavonoids, chlorophyll, and other cannabinoids? Check the ingredient label for fillers. If you are buying edibles, check for flavors and additives.
- Confirm the origin of the hemp: Before the farm bill, Hemp was mostly imported from many parts of the world where farming laws tend to be lax. That’s no longer the case though. Hemp is grown locally and organically in the United States and that’s where manufacturers should be sourcing their products from.
Should you buy CBD on Amazon?
If you have your mind set on it, then go ahead.
However, you’d want to keep some of the things that we mentioned above, in mind.
- Look for ‘Hemp Extracts’ and/or ‘Hemp Seed Extracts’ on the product label.
- Look at the bottle. If it resembles a tincture or essential oil, it’s most likely to be CBD oil.
- Look for the milligram measurement.
- Speak to the seller and seek third-party certificates for the legitimacy
Amazon certainly doesn’t make it easy for shoppers interested in CBD.
There’s a lot more research involved in buying CBD on Amazon that buying it directly from a manufacturer online.
When you buy directly from a manufacturer, you can also get a better price because they don’t have to add Amazon’s seller fees.