Much conversation has centered on the safety and effectiveness of cannabidiol, or CBD, hemp products since the plant was made legal at the end of 2018.
Concerns have come from some, for instance, at the Food and Drug Administration who have asserted their ability to regulate the non-psychoactive compound despite not releasing any actual guidelines for companies to follow.
As more and more entrepreneurs and customers enter the booming hemp and CBD market, solutions to this quality question have increasingly come from within the industry itself. Some hope that by adopting a system of internal industry standards could ameliorate some of the unease around CBD.
Now, some companies within the CBD space are attempting to make the first forays into just such a solution.
Forbes reported that the U.S. Hemp Authority, a group aiming to provide guidance and quality standards across the CBD industry, have recently released their list of 13 companies that received their seal of approval. [1]
According to the U.S. Hemp Authority website, the accreditation program is the industry’s “initiative to provide high standards, best practices and self-regulation, giving confidence to consumers and law enforcement that hemp products are safe, and legal.” [2]
The report from Forbes lists all of the 13 companies that managed to earn a seal of certification from the USHA.
The list, from Forbes:
CV Sciences, San Diego, CA
HempMeds, San Diego, CA
Medterra CBD, Irvine, CA
Balanced Health Botanicals, Louisville, CO
HD Distribution, Louisville, CO
Bluebird Botanicals, Louisville, CO
Charlotte’s Web, Boulder, CO
MetaCan, Miramar, FL
GenCanna, Winchester, KY
Shell Farms, Winchester, KY
Nature’s Hemp Oil, Lexington, KY
Hempworx, Las Vegas, NV
Barlean’s, Ferndale, WA
The Hemp Authority is comprised of a number of different agricultural corporations, pilot program hemp farms from a number of states around the U.S., and was formed in 2018. [1]
Though these companies listed serve up a litany of individual products which come in almost as many different forms as you could imagine, including lotions, oils and edibles, the seal of approval extends to the full offerings of each company.
There are a number of different criteria the group said it assessed in order to dole out the seals of approval. According to their website, these included recognition in the industry, third-party lab testing, and adherence to safety and handling standard during the farming, extracting and selling processes. [2]
The addition of product certifications and other market signals is a great step forward to cementing certainty and trust within the fresh-faced CBD trade.
Luckily, if you are located within the Twin Cities metro area, you can take advantage of the new seals of approval right away. Nothing But Hemp, which has locations in Minneapolis, Maplewood and Forest Lake, carries Charlotte’s Web and Medterra CBD products, which are included in the list above.
Nothing But Hemp also carries only award-winning and third party lab tested products, so you can be sure of your purchase’s quality.
Stop in and see for yourself today!
Sources
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bethkaiserman/2019/03/24/hemp-authority-seal-cbd-products/#700b876065f0
[2] https://www.ushempauthority.org/