By Dr. John O’Connor and Shawn Valor
If you’re curious about owning hemp for business or personal use, you might know what it is and it’s benefits, but it also good to be an informed shopper because there are many little things that you have to look out for when buying hemp and CBD oil so it doesn’t come up in your next drug test. Even when just sourcing CBD oil it’s better to be an educated shopper. What we will go through are things you can ask dispensaries or growers that in the end will benefit you in buying the best quality stuff and make you sound like an expert to them.
The first thing you should always ask for when buying hemp or CBD oil is the COA. The Certificate Of Authenticity is essentially a lab report on the hemp to show you what the plant the bud came from had in it. What you’re looking for is DELTA-9 THC, Total CBD, and THC-A.
Now different levels of CBD are going to have a different effect on you when you take it. Anything under 10% CBD is considered low and its effect will wear off faster while the effect it gives you while being a slight energy burst and soothing effect. There are benefits to low CBD content, especially if it’s combined with a presence of THC, which will encourage and enhance the CBD effect if the THC is in small numbers.
High CBD can be 10% up to 30% and will give you a bigger sense of relaxation. It’s seen as the most desirable to have high CBD for it’s longer and stronger effect and medical use. The average you’ll find in CBD is 13%-17%, which will give you plenty of the effect you’re looking for. Most who claim is over that you should be suspect if it’s actually low CBD. From our experience that latest trend in dispensary product is to label something as “25% CBD” when there is no proof the actual CBD is 25%. 20% and up is really rare and usually only obtained in a genetics breeding lab The common strains won’t go up that high. What the amount they are referring to be either made up or Total Cannabinoids, which is all the other elements like CBDN added onto the actual CBD number.
The most important thing you’ll be looking for is DELTA-9 THC, the 2018 FARM bill allowed hemp under 0.3% to be legal. Any more than that and it is considered Marijuana in those states. It’s often referred to as THC amount (Not total) in lab reports. If the amount is over 0.3% it will come back on drug tests. The higher the THC amount the more of the “Wasted” feeling you’re going to get. In hemp, the amount is in minimal amounts.
In some states, they also use THC-A to test legality. In those states, it’s known as Total THC. THC-A is the acid precursor to DELTA-9 THC, it’s non-psychoactive but a certain amount will convert over when heated or burned. In Total THC the formula is (THC-A amount x 0.877) + DELTA-9 amount = Total THC amount. In states like that, it would be illegal to own hemp that goes over 0.3% Total THC, the end amount of that formula.
Certain states require licenses to own hemp. If you want to own some buds, you’ll have to check the website of your state’s agriculture department to make sure you can legally own it. Only SOME states allow public ownership of hemp flower, most states in the US require a license of some sort. Don’t feel guilty if you have to pay and apply for a grower’s license to own them, no one says you have to grow.
The next most important thing to ask for when buying hemp and CBD oil is asking for a Microbial and Pesticide lab report. If you want references to what Microbials are, check out our other article on Kush. The simple answer is that they are carcinogenic fungi and diseases. Hemp is so much of an effective soil cleanser it’s being used with success to clean up the radioactivity in Chernobyl. Keep this in mind when buying any hemp derivative as most people who grow and have gotten into it through the media push do not know this aspect or do not care.
Now let’s walk you through going into a dispensary. Your first step is to be able o legally possess hemp bud and CBD oil as some states have not legalized CBD oil as well yet. Now you’re going to walk in there and check out what they have to offer until you find something you like. You’re going to ask the salesperson behind the counter if they have the THC lab reports on the item, that report will also show the CBD levels. If they say “No,” or don’t give you a way to see them, don’t buy it find another place that will. Once you see the lab reports read it’s information to make sure the stuff you’ll buy is legal in your state, as most sellers of hemp only try to follow the Farm Bill’s Delta-9 THC law rather than the state’s Total THC law. Don’t let that salesperson over talk you if they think only Delta-9 matters in your state, come in well informed first. If everything looks good on that and you see it has the right amount of CBD for you, ask for pesticide report and the microbial report. If they can give you those reports and everything looks safe, they are a reputable company you should deal with. Others who do not have those reports or don’t even know what those are usually the ones who won’t be around long and you have to be suspect of what they are trying to sell. With your first purchase using these techniques you just awarded yourself Expert Consumer in Hemp.
If you want full information on hemp and every aspect to it go read our book Farming Industrial Hemp: Not Your Daddy’s Tobacco. You’ll learn how to fix any issues hemp has and where it comes from.
About the Authors:
As an Industrial Hemp Psychologist, Dr. O’Connor has worked with the Virginia Universities in the pilot hemp programs since 2014. Prior to the hemp pilot programs, Dr. O’Connor consulted dozens of farms in upstate New York, helping them with soil science and agricultural management. Since the 2018 Farm Bill, he has worked with scores of farms throughout the southeast region in establishing productive industrial hemp farming systems. As an international consultant, he is currently helping farmers in Africa grow industrial hemp in their soil. An ardent observer of human behavior, Dr. O’Connor’s insightful knowledge has added volumes of helpful knowledge to understanding the agricultural industry’s ever-changing regulations, including the 2018 Farms Bill’s industrial hemp inclusion as a farm commodity. As a consultant, his understanding of agricultural regulations and organic farming techniques has help hundreds of farms. He serves as President of the American Emotional Wellness Organization and Books for Charity, Inc a 501 C 3 nonprofit charity as well as Reverend to the Chapel of Light and Spiritual Awareness church. Dr. O’Connor has over three decades of therapy experience working with individuals, groups, corporations, and small businesses. He has received recognition from Google for having set a record with over a of 30k views to his reviews. LinkedIn congratulated him for being in the top 10% most viewed profiles. He is also a Certified Master Photographer with credits in multiple newspapers and magazines through the US and Canada. What seems like a lifetime ago at the beginning of his career, he graduated from the New Hampshire Police academy with honors. Dr. O’Connor’s articles have been published in sports magazines such as Fighter, RPM, Concealed Carry Magazine, and Summit Racing, for his knowledge on developing an unbeatable mental game, endurance, human performance, and self-protection. He is an IDPA Winter Nationals event winner and a Certified NRA pistol instructor..
Shawn Valor is a seasoned copywriter, published content creator, and novel-writing entrepreneur with 6 novels under development. He is a Master Luthier at Brute Force guitars with over 100 guitars, basses, and mandolins crafted by him. He is a knowledgeable workaholic now with 5 years experience in working in the Hemp growing Industry as an expert adviser to help make a safe and profitable yield for his clients. He partnered with Dr. John O’Connor PhD. to create a book known as Farming Industrial Hemp: Not Your Daddy’s Tobacco to help growers avoid the common issues that plague fields from what we’ve seen. We have partnered again for a book on the ultimate guide for state laws on Hemp and CBD oil to help all understand what each laws means whether grower, processor, or traveler. He has wowed audiences at the Southern Hemp Expo as a speaker representing the national event. He’ll be making appearances as a speaker at the Dallas Hemp Expo, Memphis Mid-South Hemp Fest, and Greenlight Festival in Hong Kong. He works as a writer and content creator at Screen Rant coming up with articles around you’re favorite media franchises and twisting them into a brand new light.