Lexington, KY: Most commercially available CBD gummy products contain quantities of cannabidiol that are significantly different than what is purported on the products’ packaging, according to data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

Researchers affiliated with the University of Kentucky assessed the cannabinoid content of 56 nationally available CBD gummy products. 

Consistent with prior assessments, 70 percent of the products contained CBD concentrations that differed significantly from those listed on their labels. Within-product analysis also revealed that CBD percentages were often inconsistent from one gummy to another. Thirty-nine percent of products tested positive for the presence of THC. 

“Unregulated CBD product packaging is not an accurate indication of the product constituents,” the study’s authors concluded. “CBD products do not have reliable CBD concentrations, both relative to the dose listed on the label and among individual gummies within the same bottle. These products also frequently contain delta-9-THC (and occasionally delta-8-THC), often unbeknownst to the consumer. The results of this study support the growing body of literature suggesting the necessity of CBD product regulation to ensure customer health and safety.”

Provisions in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 federally legalized the production and sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products. Although the legislation explicitly tasked the FDA with establishing regulations to govern the hemp-derived CBD market, the agency refused to do so. In 2023, regulators countered that Congress – not the FDA – must take primary responsibility for creating a regulatory framework overseeing the commercial production and marketing of hemp-derived cannabinoid products.

NORML and other groups have urged the FDA to establish regulatory guidelines governing the production, testing, labeling, and marketing of hemp-derived cannabinoid products. Third-party analyses conducted by the FDA and others have consistently reported that commercially available CBD products and other hemp-derived cannabinoid products are of variable quality and potency, and that they may contain contaminants, adulterants, or elevated levels of heavy metals.

Full text of the study, “Cannabidiol gummy products: LC-MS/MS Assessment of Cannabinoid Concentrations,” appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.