NAPLES, Fla. -- Chances are you've seen shops selling CBD products in Southwest Florida but it turns out, some of it could have harmful substances.
Fox 4 spoke with experts on what you need to lookout for when purchasing CBD products.
Right now, there are little to no federal regulations when it comes to CBD. Therefore, scientists said there are a lot of CBD products on the market that are contaminated and could put your health at risk.
“Big issues are heavy metals, microbial contamination like E-Coli, salmonella, and pesticides. The stuff that can really kill people,” said Christopher Martinez, the President of EVIO Labs.
EVIO Labs in Fort Lauderdale tests CBD products every day; some of the products you can find at gas stations, retail stores, online and at the mall.
CBD is free of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
It’s advertised to help pain relief, depression, anxiety and much more.
But Martinez said there are some items that can have serious consequences.
“Someone that is autoimmune deficient can get really sick from a pesticides, someone with autoimmune deficient can die from heavy metals contamination,” said Martinez.
“They are buying isolate products that are drummed up in a lab or even in people’s bath tubs or kitchens,” said Nick Garulay.
Garulay is the CEO of My Florida Green, a cannabis clinic. He said CBD comes in the form of oils, edible gummies, creams and even coffee.
CBD is not considered a food or dietary supplement so there aren't strict regulations or testing requirements for it.
“It’s like wild wild west right now and it’s unfortunate because there are a lot of people that are buying a bottle of CBD, thinking that it is CBD, when in fact it’s really not,” said Garulay.
Martinez said many companies are importing raw contaminated material from outside of the U.S., using it to make those products to put on the market.
“A lot of these CBD companies put profit before patients,” said Martinez.
If you’re looking to buy CBD, look for the QR code on the product.
Experts said you can scan it by using your phone. After you take a picture of the code, you will get a full PDF download of the test results of the product you’re buying.
