Washington, D.C.—Amazon has a no-CBD policy on its website—but not, apparently, one it works to enforce, according to Organic & Natural Health Association (O&N). O&N sentAmazon best-seller New Age Premium Hemp Oilto Alkemist labs for cannabidiol (CBD) testing, according to a press release, and found that the product had 1% CBD; more testing is required to find out whether or not the CBD is synthetic. Yet, on Amazon, in the FAQ section for the product, questions including “How much CBD in 1 drop?” are met with the response “Zero, Zip, Zilch… None! Amazon doesn’t sell CBD.” One question—“Is this Full Spectrum?”—received the answer: “Full spectrum is a term used to describe CBD oil that contains a minimal amount of THC. Products containing both CBD and/or THC are prohibited for sale on Amazon.”

Other products tested were not found to contain CBD.

“It’s really important for customers to know that because Amazon doesn’t allow the sale of products with CBD, there are no reputable companies selling CBD on their site,” said Karen Howard, CEO and Executive Director of O&N. “Amazon allows companies to tag products with whatever words they choose, and they also allow companies to purchase CBD ads. This is what populates so-called CBD products on Amazon when consumers search for them, but it’s very misleading. Amazon is not a retailer you should be making CBD purchases from, and if you do, then you are likely overpaying for low-quality supplements.”
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O&N began looking into Amazon’s CBD selling practices when reputable supplement companies were being denied by Amazon to sell CBD or full-spectrum hemp oil. If a company attempts to list a CBD or full-spectrum product on Amazon’s site, it will be rejected with a redirect to Amazon’s drug and paraphernalia policy and a statement from Amazon: “This product has been identified as a prohibited CBD/cannabinoid product. Items containing CBD/cannabinoid or full spectrum hemp oil, including topical products are prohibited from listing or sale on Amazon.”

Howard added that, in her view: “Essentially, the public is being defrauded twice. First, Amazon’s Bestseller, New Age Premium Hemp Oil, contains CBD even though its label does not list CBD. Second, those searching for CBD products are being misled into buying products containing zero CBD.”

Howard notes that New Age Premium Hemp Oil also has illegal label claims—the product, the label says, works to “Naturally Relieve Aches and Pains, including: Multiple Sclerosis Pain, Neuropathic Pain, Osteoarthritis Aches, Sore Muscles, Runner’s Knee and Joints, Neck and Back Pain.”
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Howard concluded: “We will continue our analysis of these products on Amazon’s site. Without any requirement for GMPs, consumers are running the risk of consuming products adulterated with processed oils, and we also know synthetic cannabinoid is in the market. If we were able to easily find CBD in Amazon’s bestseller hemp oil, it’s anyone’s guess what the other products contain or which ones are adulterated. This deception Amazon is spoon-feeding consumers on CBD is highly irresponsible to millions of Americans in search of legitimate CBD supplements.”