The CBD Racket

In the past few years, the popularity, and the possibly-legal status of CBD, a cannabinoid found in cannabis, has caused a boom in the availability of CBD products. Even in states where cannabis is still illegal, like Ohio, head shops have racks and racks of CBD products behind the counter, mirroring the marketing and packaging of legal marijuana products in states where recreational or medical use of it is permitted.

CBD is useful for some people, so it’s not that it’s a hoax, but the problem is that the product’s claims, quantity, and quality is not assessed or regulated, so you don’t know how much CBD you’re getting when you drop an eight-dollar “CBD Bath Bomb” into your tub. There have also been multiple cases of manufacturers selling synthetic cannabinoids like those found in “K2″ or “Spice” as CBD, causing users to experience an array of side effects, most of which are unpleasant. Like cannabis itself, until CBD is fully legalized and regulated, it’s going to be a grey-market profit opportunity for unscrupulous businesses to scam consumers.