--- title: The Real Risk of Buying CBD Medical Marijuana Online description: Nearly 70% of CBD extracts sold online contain inaccurate amounts of cannabidiol - possibly making them ineffective or unsafe. canonical: https://time.com/5012044/buying-cbd-online/ author: Amanda MacMillan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-07T16:00:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:01.125Z article:section: Health og:title: The Real Risk of Buying Medical Marijuana Online og:description: You might not be getting what you paid for - and the results could be dangerous og:url: https://time.com/5012044/buying-cbd-online/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Real Risk of Buying Medical Marijuana Online twitter:description: You might not be getting what you paid for - and the results could be dangerous twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # The Real Risk of Buying Medical Marijuana Online > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e05ac888-324a-480f-bc84-aad1443c7df7&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Meet Jody Hall, the Former Starbucks Marketing Manager Who Is Now the Edibles Queen of Washington State [Watch (HLS stream): Meet Jody Hall, the Former Starbucks Marketing Manager Who Is Now the Edibles Queen of Washington State](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/l8HbCglU.m3u8) (2:06)  _Published 2017-10-30. Jody Hall is smiling, holding a grapefruit jelly that’s been cured for 21 days, rolled in sugar, and secured in child-resistant packaging._ by [Amanda MacMillan](https://time.com/author/amanda-macmillan/) ## Amanda MacMillan Nov 7, 2017 4:00 PM UTC by [Amanda MacMillan](https://time.com/author/amanda-macmillan/) ## Amanda MacMillan Nov 7, 2017 4:00 PM UTC Many people buy medical marijuana online — but they may not always get exactly what they pay for, according to new research. A study,[ published this week in _JAMA_](http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2017.11909), found that nearly 70% of all products sold online made from cannabidiol — an extract of the marijuana plant also known as CBD — contained either higher or lower concentrations of the drug than indicated on the label. That could potentially mean those CBD products are ineffective or even dangerous. Some CBD products examined in the study also contained significant amounts of THC, the chemical compound in cannabis that makes people feel high. Pure CBD should not contain THC, which is one reason experts say it has potential as a medical treatment, and is not something that can be abused. The presence of THC is especially concerning because[ CBD is sometimes used by children with seizure disorders](http://www.health.com/pain/marijuana-benefits-risks), says lead author Marcel Bonn-Miller, PhD, adjunct assistant professor of psychology in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. “Parents could be giving their kids THC without knowing it,” says Bonn-Miller. For the study, Bonn-Miller and his colleagues spent a month searching the Internet and purchasing 84 products, from 31 different companies, that included CBD content on their packaging. Then they analyzed each product for actual CBD content, as well as other ingredients. They found that 42% of the products were under-labeled, meaning they contained a higher concentration of CBD than indicated. Another 26% were over-labeled, while 30% contained accurate CBD content (within 10% of the amount listed). No studies have shown that taking too much CBD is harmful, says Bonn-Miller, although very little research has been done on doses over 1,500 mg. A bigger concern, he says, is that doses that are too low may affect how well the product works. Because of the variability between products, it can also be difficult for patients to expect consistent results. “Say I have a kid with seizures who’s in really bad shape, and I ordered some CBD oil as a last-ditch attempt to treat them,” he says. “If I happened to order something that has hardly any CBD in it, that’s a problem. Number one, I might not be getting any therapeutic effect, and number two I’m probably spending a decent amount of money for CBD that I’m not actually getting.” CBD products sold in liquid form—for use with vaping devices—were mislabeled about 88% of the time, while CBT oils were mislabeled about 55% of the time. THC was detected in 18 of the 84 samples tested, and in some cases it was found in concentrations that “may be sufficient to produce intoxication or impairment, especially among children,” the authors wrote in their paper. A 2015 study by the same group of researchers found similar mislabeling among [edible marijuana samples](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2338239). But the mislabeling of CBD products is even more concerning, says Bonn-Miller, since CBD is largely used for medicinal purposes among people of all ages, rather than as a recreational drug. The researchers believe the reason for these inconsistencies is a lack of regulation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The federal government considers cannabis a Schedule 1 controlled dangerous substance, and is not involved in production, labeling and distribution at the state level. “Right now, if you buy a Hershey bar, you know it has been checked over; you know how many calories are in it, you know it has chocolate as an ingredient, you know how much chocolate is in there,” Bonn-Miller says. “It’s crazy to have less oversight and information about a product being widely used for medicinal purposes, especially in very ill children, than a Hershey bar.” Last year, the _Hemp Business Journal_ estimated that consumers will spend more than [$2 billion a year](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/growing-market-share-for-cbd-based-products-projected-to-exceed-2-billion-627211741.html) on CBD products by 2020\. One drug company, GW Pharmaceuticals, is currently [pursuing FDA approval](http://www.health.com/healthday/compound-pot-eases-severe-form-epilepsy) on a CBD-based treatment for children with a rare form of epilepsy — but beyond that, the industry remains unregulated, and Bonn-Miller warns consumers should be wary of what they’re purchasing online. “The first step is ordering products from reputable sources or getting advice from other people you trust,” he says, “or getting products tested yourself in an independent lab.” (The group [Patient Focused Certification](http://patientfocusedcertification.org/) can provide names of nearby facilities that will test CBD extracts, he says.) “Unfortunately, the onus is on the consumer to do the homework.” ## Transcript Marijuana actually allows us to be more profoundly present. It allows us to be better people. Marijuana allows us to connect in a different way under that lens. I thought it was a really interesting opportunity to have a seat at the table during this profound renaissance To help shape the narrative for what pot future looks like. [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] I founded a company to create really great, delicious, reliable products in this new industry of legal marijuana. [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] Right now, we're kind of in the range between about 100- 150, 000 a month. We have a long way to go. We're carving that out. Just pounding the pavement every day. [ MUSIC ] Federally illegal means a lot of things that you wouldn't think would have an [ INAUDIBLE ] Baking has been, a lot of it's been solved here in Washington. There's certain credit unions that we can work with. Can we put an organic label on the front of our product? We can't, we can use organic ingredients but we can't do that because that's federally regulated. Can we rent a building that is on a FDIC mortgage? No, we can't because that's federally regulated. And I can go on and on and on but there's a lot of things in this industry that are profoundly hard. I love the notion of being a pioneer and really carrying the torch and being the category protagonist for what this future would look like. I kinda saw that that could be a huge opportunity to really create a pot future brand, meaning. Helping shape the narrative around culture into a new, better narrative. 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