“How do I ensure that I am offering my patients a quality CBD product from a reputable manufacturer?” We have fielded hundreds of questions from Pharmacy owners asking essentially this same question.

Our responses to those questions have resulted in list of items you need to consider when choosing  CBD products to make available to your customers.  This list is presented in no particular order, thus the first item is as important as the last item on the list.  With our experience evaluating dozens of CBD brands, we can strongly suggest that you should not consider a CBD brand that does not meet all of the following important criteria. This is by no means a complete list of considerations.

–Is the CBD from a domestic source?  The CBD should be sourced from hemp that is grown, cultivated, processed, and distributed in the U.S.A.  There are conflicting laws regarding the legality of imported hemp, but every manufacturer that is concerned about purity of their products use only hemp that is grown in the U.S.  Hemp grown in the U.S. will consider FDA and USDA guidelines on THC content and contaminates, such as pesticides and heavy metals.

–Does the manufacturer have their products independently tested by a third-party lab?  Every CBD company should have the Certificates of Analysis (CoA) readily available for every product they sell, but the CoA is only meaningful if it is provided by a reputable lab.  There are documented instances where unreliable CBD companies have published false CoA’s, which is why we conduct our own random testing at an independent lab for brands we recommend.

–Does the product look like it belongs in a Pharmacy?  The label should be simple and easy to understand.   Too often, the contents of the products available in salons, vape shops, and gas stations are confusing.  Is the product for ingestion or sublingual use? Or is it a topical?  Does it contain THC?  If so, how much?  How much CBD is delivered per dose?  Maybe most importantly, there should be no references to marijuana culture on the product itself or in any marketing materials. If it looks like it belongs in a “head” shop, then it certainly does not belong in your pharmacy.

—Does any marketing material, including the label, make claims banned by the FDA? The label and marketing materials should not include any statements that the FDA has clearly stated are problematic, such as making therapeutic claims and/or advertising its use as a food additive. Avoid products with statements that so much as insinuate a health claim. If in doubt, do not carry the product or you may be risking trouble with the FDA.

–Does the product employ any special technology or delivery system?  Partly due to the fact that the CBD industry is still in its infancy, changes and technology developments are happening at lightning speed.  Today there are nano-technology delivery systems available that greatly enhance bioavailability, (in some cases increasing the absorption by 20 times compared to non-nano formulations). If a brand claims to use any special or unique delivery system, ask to see a copy of the testing that proves it works. Not all nano-technology systems work equally well increasing absorption, and some provide no benefits at all. Remember, CBD is currently unregulated to a large degree, which allows manufacturers to get away with making false claims since no one is really watching too closely.

Additionally, by understanding how CBD is delivered to target tissues in the body and choosing appropriate products you can help reduce the amount of CBD customers must take for a desired effect. The lower dosing also decreases the potential for drug interactions and side effects and, you can save customers from wasting money on CBD products that may not be able to deliver results.

NCPACBDSource.com has already done much of this work for you!  All products are randomly chosen to go to another independent lab of our choosing.  We constantly do the work of making sure that if you choose to carry a CBD product from our lineup, you are getting a professionally manufactured product from a reputable company where you can trust that “what it says on the label, is what’s in the bottle”!