In October, the Organic & Natural Health Association looked into Amazon’s CBD selling practices by putting Amazon’s bestseller, New Age Premium Hemp Oil, to the test. The association hired an independent, third-party lab, California-based Alkemist Labs, to test for the presence and levels of cannabinoids. After testing a sample of New Age Premium Hemp Oil 1000 MG, the Alkemist Labs report showed 7.7 mg of CBD per 30 drops, which is equivalent to 1 percent.
Karen Howard, CEO and executive director of Organic & Natural Health Association said her organization checked the online retail giant when reputable supplement companies were being denied to sell CBD/cannabinoid or full-spectrum hemp oil on the site.
If a company attempts to list a CBD/cannabinoid or full spectrum hemp oil product on Amazon’s site, it will get rejected with a redirect to its drug and paraphernalia policy and the following 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.”
“So basically, Amazon states it has banned the sale of CBD supplements on its site, but allows advertising and tagging of CBD instead, inviting an influx of products to consumers that the FDA has been warning about,” said Howard, whose organization also tested three other hemp oils being sold on Amazon, and did not detect any CBD. “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 said label claims made on New Age Premium Hemp Oil are also illegal, listing that the product 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.”
The Washington Post (The Post), owned by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, responded to the investigation by launching an investigation of its own. In November, The Post purchased 13 items from Amazon—11 of them contained CBD. After analysis by Nevada-based Evio Labs, it was determined that one product had a small amount of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis plants that gets people high.
Amazon has said that it uses advanced algorithms to find products containing CBD, but Amazon spokesman Patrick Graham blamed “bad actors” for the oversight.
“Bad actors who attempt to undermine our store do not reflect the flourishing community of honest entrepreneurs that make up the vast majority of our seller community,” he stated. “We move swiftly to hold bad actors accountable by removing selling privileges, withholding funds, and pursuing civil and criminal penalties.”
