Reading & understanding CBD labels with Scientia Labs & Canapa Co-founders Molly Conroy & Rubin Torf

Molly Conroy & Rubin Torf are co-founders of both Scientia Labs & Canapa. Scientia Labs was born out of passion for CBD and frustration at industry opacity. They turn high-quality industrial hemp into pure CBD extracts through a Farm Bill-compliant extraction process. Confusing? That’s ok! Demystifying the “behind-the-scenes” is literally the point of #BTSPodcast.

One of the more broad subjects of interest that both episodes touch on is how you should be approaching your CBD products. While I encourage you to listen to both episodes, I felt it would be considerate to condense some of their tips so that the information is easier to reference.

CBD: What to look for & what to ask

• What are the rules & regulations for CBD? [00:13:00 on Molly’s episode] There are very unclear/nonexistent regulations for CBD, which leaves consumers to figure it out on their own until the FDA steps in. Why is that bad? There’s a lot of room for fraud. So what Scientia does is connect CBD brands to the farms, the results of the hemp from the farms, & results on the consumer product.
• Ask where the hemp is grown. [00:51:32 on Molly’s episode] Why? Hemp is a bio-accumulator so it sucks up whatever is in the soil, which makes it good for soil remediation because it sucks up heavy metals & whatever is bad in the soil. But what that means is that those heavy metals are in the plant, so when you concentrate the plant you’re also getting those heavy metals. Scientia Labs tests all the hemp that comes in the lab for heavy metals prior to processing it & they’ve found that the levels depend heavily on where the hemp is grown. (TLDR: Green light = Oregon & ideally US grown. Red flags: hemp imported from overseas, this is due to different farming practices.) Note: This is the answer for now (as of April 2020) Molly adds that [paraphrased] “as more regulations come in on testing, you’ll be able to get good hemp from outside the US. But as of now, there aren’t international standards & requirements around heavy metal testing.”
• Look for test results on the product. [00:29:00 on Rubin’s episode & 00:53:37 on Molly’s episode] If you’re looking for a standardized experience, you want to see what’s called a Certificate of Analysis (COA). These are 3rd party analytical labs that test products for the potency of CBD. NOTE: If the results are more than a year old, request another. CBD doesn’t go bad quickly but the cannabinoid can change. So making sure you have an up-to-date COA result is good. If it’s a water soluble product, look for microbial testing. Water soluble products are prone to microbials growing. For something like microbials, it should show that it’s been tested (e.g. E. coli) & then there shouldn’t be a number there.
• What’s “full spectrum”? [00:29:22 on Rubin’s episode] The phrase “full spectrum” can be misleading & is a bit squishy. It’s not a standardized phrase. Look for the COA (not just the phrase “we use 3rd party lab testing”) there should be a QR code or URL that leads you to the 3rd party lab results. It shouldn’t be branded & should be hosted on the 3rd party lab site.
• So what labs can I trust? [00:30:54 on Rubin’s episode] All labs should be accredited. Ensure the lab is registered in the state. As of now, there’s not a proper list (so if you feel like making one, please do & please share it with me via DMs on IG or TW)

Note: After recording these episodes I bought an assortment of Canapa’s products and LOVED them. Listen to the episodes for a promo code to save 25% off your order of Canapa.