THC Content in CBD Products And Testing

Hemp is the plant from which we derive cannabinoids (such as CBD) which has been bred by humans over time into another variant that we call "marijuana" or "cannabis." However there is a big distinction between the two variations of the same plant. While marijuana contains high levels of THC, hemp (usually referred to as "industrial hemp") contains very little THC, but still contains significant levels of other cannabinoids which do not cause the psychoactive effects that THC does. Throughout history, people have valued the usefulness of these other cannabinoids such as CBD, CBG, CBA, etc. For those of us who use CBD (in any form), it is often concentrated into products that we eat, smoke, or rub on our skin. There are concerns that using CBD may lead to a positive result on tests for THC, however, and understanding the difference between CBD products will help people avoid this situation while still using CBD products.

Many CBD products derived from hemp contain trace amounts of THC, as THC is a naturally occurring substance in hemp, in amounts up to 0.3% by dry weight. This level is used as a "threshold" level for marketing CBD products, and US federal law regarding hemp derived products includes a recently added caveat that officially characterizes industrial hemp as "having no more than 0.3% THC by dry weight." Further, many products make the claim that it will not cause a positive test for THC because it's such a small amount. But as long as a product has any amount of THC, it could easily cause a positive test because often tests are sensitive enough to detect any amount of THC in a sample. Some tests also test not for THC directly, but for the metabolites that are produced when the body breaks down THC and other cannabinoids, which can lead to false positives if those metabolites are created by non-THC cannabiniods (e.g CBD) as these metabolites may cross-react with the immunoassay. However when this happens, a more accurate test (e.g. GC/MS) will be needed to show from which compound these metabolites are produced, and will show no THC-sourced metabolites. THC also, being a fat-soluble compound, has a tendency to build up in the body with repeated use and the accumulation may lead to a test resulting in a higher than anticipated level of THC, and therefore a positive result. There are even hemp CBD products labeled as zero THC that have test results indicating that it has .1% THC. Obviously people need to be careful of marketing claims for CBD products.

CBD products come in many forms, but for the sake of this explanation, we will focus on two variations, whole plant products and isolates.

Whole Plant Products

Very simply, whole plant products (e.g. wax, shatter, slabs, resin, supplements, tinctures, and balms) contain many different alkaloids and cannabinoids that are present in the plant and extracted, which includes many terpenes (plant oils) as well as any THC that is present in the plant. While the amount of extracted THC may be small, when extracted, it may become more concentrated in the resulting product, and may even build up in your body with repeated use. Whole plant products are sought by people who want the broad spectrum of compounds from hemp, not just the CBD, and are among the most popular products in the CBD world. By virtue of being a whole plant product there may be traces of THC in them, though, which needs to be taken into account for anyone who may be tested for that compound.

Isolates

Isolates (typically found in crystal/powder form) are highly refined products that are 99.9% pure. This means that CBD isolate is 99.9% pure CBD, with, for all intents and purposes, no THC, CBG, CBA, etc. This is the only safe product for people who want to be 99.9% certain that they will not test positive for THC. Isolates are subsequently turned into a variety of products, or enjoyed on their own, such as supplements that offer a specific amount of CBD per serving.

In a nutshell, there are many different CBD products available for use, but for those who want to be able to use CBD without having to worry about testing positive for THC, the best way is to either get a CBD isolate product or a whole plant product that has the terpenes and other cannabinoids left in but any THC specifically removed. And remember that cheaper tests that only look for metabolites may still result in a false positive and should be questioned if you have been certain to avoid THC entirely. If you are uncertain about a product, feel free to ask the company for lab results!