Brescia, Italy: CBD-based oil preparations sold commercially in Europe are often mislabeled with regard to their potency and ingredients, according to findings published in the journal Molecules.

A team of Italian researchers analyzed the content of 14 commercially available CBD oils. They reported that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of the products contained CBD concentrations that differed significantly from the declared amount. Typically, these products over-reported the percentage of CBD that was available in the product. Moreover, 12 of the 14 products evaluated (86 percent) contained identifiable quantities of THC despite being advertised as THC-free.

“Taken together, the results presented in this study indicate the pronounced variability of CBD concentrations in commercialized CBD oil preparations,” authors concluded. “The differences found in the overall cannabinoid profiles accompanied with discrepancies revealed for the terpenes fingerprint justify the necessity to provide firmer regulation and control.”

Unlike in the United States, where CBD is generally considered by regulatory authorities to be a schedule I controlled substance, the compound is unregulated in the European Union.

The study’s findings are consistent with those previously reported by a team of US researchers following the analytical testing of 84 different online retail CBD products. That study determined that only 30 percent of the products contained percentages of CBD that were within ten percent of the amount advertised on the label.

For more information, contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, “Quality traits of ‘cannabidiol oils’: Cannabinoids content, terpenes fingerprint and oxidation stability of European commercially available preparations,” appears in Molecules.

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