Testing CBD oil for pesticides and THC; Could you fail a drug test?

SAN ANTONIO — CBD oil, also known as cannabinoid oil, is derived from substances secreted from the hemp plant. As of January 1, 2019, it became legal to sell CBD oil with THC, but it has to .3% or less.

CBD oil is in demand, billed as the panacea for common ailments like pain, inflammation and anxiety.

"Well it takes the edge off," said CBD oil user, Todd Hargroder. "I mean, for me, it helps with the nerve pain."

At 52, Hargroder has spent more than half of his life in a wheelchair following a motorcycle accident in 1986.

"I went over a jump," Hargroder said. "I went over the bars and that resulted in a C56 spinal cord injury."

Sitting 12 hours a day wears on his body, causing lower back pain and nerve pain in his arms and legs.

He made the switch from traditional pain medication to CBD oil 4 years ago, but he worries about the lack of oversight in a now booming industry.

"I would think for the average person, there's a lot of uncertainty out there as far as what's pure," Hargroder said.

Pesticides, residual solvents and heavy metals are all contaminants Steep Hill Lab researcher, Caleb King has found in various lab tests during the last couple years.

We bought five brands of CBD tincture oil all with the same strength, 250 milligrams per bottle and shipped them to the Steep Hill Lab in Berkeley, California.

One by one, they were tested for potency, pesticides, THC and the number of cannabinoids.

Only 2 of the 5 products tested exactly as labeled: Hemplucid and hometown brand, Alamo Botanicals.

The widely used brand KOI was THC and pesticide free as advertised, but it fell short when it came to potency (195 mg instead of 250 mg).

In response, KOI wrote, "For potency analysis specifically, our laboratory collects a sample size that is 10X the industry standard thereby being a more representative sample. Without knowing exact analytical methodologies, protocols, standards and instruments used, it is difficult to determine where and why variation occurred."

Remedy, the local white label brand of the Botanical Shoppe tested as labeled; 250 mg, THC free and pesticide free, but it's worth noting, it was labeled "full spectrum" on the bottle.

Despite this, our test results revealed only 1 cannabinoid other than CBD.

"As a consumer I would want more cannabinoids in there," King said. "If they are saying full spectrum, I would like to see small amounts of CBD, CBDA, the acidic forms that I've mentioned and in addition I'd like to see CBN in there."

In response, The Botanical Shoppe that produces Remedy, said they don't have a lab report contrary to the Steep Hill Lab report, but they plan to conduct more extensive testing in April that would test for the presence of additional cannabinoids.

Currently, the Botanical Shoppe tests for 12 cannabinoids, pesticides and potency and posts it's lab reports in store and online.

The company has also decided to remove the wording, "full spectrum" in future batches of oil.

The last sample News 4 had tested, Veritas Farms, had minimal amounts of 2 different pesticides, but was still considered passing, per the state of California regulations.

The Veritas Farms oil also tested positive for trace amounts of THC (.01%), even though the company's Certificate of Analysis showed there shouldn't be any THC.

The bottle does not say anything about THC, but it does say, full spectrum.

A Veritas Farms executive said the labeling, full spectrum, implies there will be THC included, although the definition of full spectrum is not consistent within the industry.

The bottle does not say anything about THC, but it does say, "full spectrum."

"Some people might not want to ingest even a minor amount of psychoactive drug material," King said. "Some people have sensitivities to the THC at very low concentrations and can cause adverse reactions."

While it is legal to ingest small amounts of THC, it could get you into trouble at work.

King explained even minimal amounts of THC could show up on a drug test and there are many factors involved, like time lapsed and the type of sample whether it be urine, blood or hair.

It's one reason to consider having CBD oil products tested prior to consumption.

There have been recalls of CBD due to pesticides and faulty lab practices in the last year, but not with the brands News 4 tested.

Counterfeit and synthetic products are also a concern.

"The synthetic cannabinoids have much more powerful effects, dosage effects than regular cannabinoids such as THC," King said.

He also recommends asking for the certificate of analysis, or batch lab report for any bottle you buy.

All the brands we tested, ranged from $40 to $50 dollars per 30 ml bottle.

***KOI sent this statement in response to our test results:

Understanding the accuracy and validity of test results is important to the manufactured cannabis good quality control process. Due to the federal prohibition of cannabis, state specific cannabis regulations, and lack of standardization between analytical methodologies, variation between laboratory testing results poses an everyday challenge for product manufacturers. It is important that manufacturers associate themselves with fully accredited and state licensed testing laboratories.

Our laboratory is fully ISO/IEC accredited by Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation, Inc. This third party accreditation institution operates beyond the scope of cannabis, accrediting laboratories ranging from pharmaceutical to food safety. We are accredited in all testing assays required by the state of California:

-Cannabinoid Potency Analysis,

- Interposed analysis

-Residual Solvents

-Pesticides

-Mycotoxins

-heavy metals

-Foreign Matter

-Moisture Content

-Water Activity

In addition to standards dictated by our Perry Johnson ISO/IEC Accreditation, our standards come from the American Pharmacopoeia and the Bureau of Cannabis Control. Per BCC regulations, we participate in Proficiency Testing for all assays organized by a 3rd party (Emerald Test by Emerald Scientific). We have Emerald Badges for each assay for accuracy and precision in our results.

For potency analysis specifically, our laboratory collects a sample size that is 10x higher than the California industry standard, thereby being a more representative sample. When we collect samples for testing, we do so in an incremental manner based on finish batch size, resulting in a more representative sample.

Without knowing exact analytical methodologies, protocols, standards, and instruments used, it is difficult to determine where and why variation occurred.

***REMEDY producer, the Botanical Shoppe sent this statement in response to our results:

We can understand the possible confusion on full spectrum/ and or broad spectrum. On our THC free line, with THC (.3%), we are changing the wording on label based on the possibility of confusion even though full spectrum was approved wording by our extractor. Thank you for the constructive criticism as we strive to be the most transparent and trusted source of CBD.

With CBD stores and retailers popping up around the city, we are thankful that News 4 has decided to conduct testing and investigative journalism. The industry right now, as a whole, is an unregulated wild west, per se.

CBD is sold in gas stations, vape shops, head shops and other retail locations as an add on product to their current business without the retail locations due diligence in regards to products and/or education. The Botanical Shoppe prides third party certification to all of our CBD consultants to ensure proper information for our valued customers. In addition, the Botanical Shoppe was the first to provide lab reports posted online and in stores. We value transparency and value feedback to ensure the best possible experience for our customers. However, the Botanical Shoppe is always trying to improve the process to maintain the go to experts within the rapidly growing industry. For example, our third party tests are consistent with your findings, however there are 400 cannabinoids found in food grade hemp (not industrial hemp) and both tests only test for 12 cannabinoids. Starting in April, our new independent lab with their proprietary testing process, will begin to test for all cannabinoids in our proprietary food grade hemp strain, REMEDY. We are excited to be the first company in Texas to offer extensive testing and will the provide the testing to News 4 upon receiving.

*** A VERITAS FARMS executive explained, the COA (certificate of analysis) did show 0% on this specific batch of CBD oil, which is unusual because there is usually THC in all of their CBD oils.

It does not say THC on the bottle, but it does say, full spectrum.

The company also added, all of their oils are full spectrum, which means they include a variety of cannabinoids, including THC.

They explained the Colorado lab differs slightly from the lab in California in thresholds of detection, which might explain why one lab result was 0% THC and the other was .01% THC.

This story has been updated to clarify the response of the Botanical Shoppe regarding the testing it conducts.

You can follow April Molina on Facebook or Twitter