Why is CBD Oil so Expensive? (VIDEO)

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Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

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Introduction

Why is CBD oil so expensive? Many people ask themselves this question and that's not surprising. There is also a good price tag attached to a bottle of CBD oil. CBD oil is becoming more and more popular, but there are people who don't want to use it because of the price. That CBD oil is expensive, is a fact. But that is not without reason.

So, you've heard about all of the incredible benefits of taking CBD. You think to yourself, “If so many people are excited about it, there must be something to it”. Then you go onto Google and tap in “Buy CBD”, and boom – you're hit with the cost. 

HOW MUCH? FOR A BOTTLE THAT SMALL? ARE YOU INSANE?

Next thing you're Googling, “Why is CBD oil SO expensive?” and you've found your way here. 

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Why are there so many different prices for the same CBD products?

There are a number of factors that determine the price of products that contain CBD – let's have a look at them.

Hemp Farming is Difficult and Expensive

This process is one of the main reasons why products containing CBD oil are expensive. The hemp plants have to be grown and then oil -or other products- can be made from them. This whole process from plant to product takes a lot of time, and certification and independent analyses must also be taken into account. This production process is very time-consuming, so there are already a lot of costs involved.

We'll start right at the beginning of the production line of CBD oil. As many of you may already know, CBD oil comes from the hemp plant and not the cannabis plant. Although the two are very similar, they vary in cannabinoid content which is the primary key difference. 

For CBD to be sold in the UK and across the EU, the levels of the psychoactive cannabinoid THC are required to be incredibly low (less than 0.2%). The same sort of restrictions is placed on the plants and even seeds of hemp. 

The THC content of the actual plant, from which the CBD will be extracted, is closely monitored, inspected, and tested. Any plants that exceed the legal limit of THC content have to be destroyed and cannot be used to extract any of the other legal cannabinoids.

So, naturally, hemp farming involves rigorous testing, research, and control over the plants to minimize THC levels and ensure that the maximum amount of crop can be used to extract valuable cannabinoids such as CBD.

Organic Farming has Become the Standard

Almost every industrial hemp producer out there now farms to meet organic certification standards. They do this to ensure that the value cannabinoids within the hemp plant aren't contaminated by any pesticides or fertilizers that could make their way into the final product.

Again, organic farming and the certification involved is an expensive process, and this is reflected in the cost of the end products. Just think about the price difference between organic produce in supermarkets versus non-organic. 

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Why is the CBD oil production process so expensive? (VIDEO)

1. Breeding high CBD strains. Producers have to breed just the right CBD-rich strain of hemp. Organic soil, special watering cycles in warm sunny places and manual labor all add to the cost.
2. Extraction and Isolation. The extraction process required to isolate the CBD and other cannabinoids from the hemp plant takes a great deal of setup, as well as expensive equipment.
3. Documentation. CBD oil is still a grey area within the pharmaceutical world. In order to get the proper documentation and certification, you must go through a whole chain of governmental instances. This is long and can be an expensive process.
4. Laboratory Testing. CBD oil is tested extensively. These tests can cost a lot of money, because CBD oil is requested to be tested against a lot of different criteria, such as individual cannabinoid contents, terpenes present and many more.

How to read a CBD scientific study

There are different types of CBD oil, such as CBD oil with CBD full spectrum extract or Isolate CBD oil. The difference between the two is that Full Spectrum CBD oil uses the whole plant. In Isolate CBD products only contain CBD, no other cannabinoids are present.

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Extracting Cannabinoids is a Complicated Process

This brings us nicely to point number three: the processes involved in extracting cannabinoids such as CBD are very complicated. As a result, you guessed it; these complicated processes are also expensive. 

Almost all high-quality CBD producers now use a process called supercritical CO2 extraction. This is the cleanest way of extracting CBD from hemp plants with minimal contamination of other cannabinoids and compounds. Supercritical CO2 extraction allows for complete control over the extraction of individual cannabinoids. This ensures that producers have greater control of their product's strengths, mixes, and over quality.

Other cheaper methods such as solvent extraction with ethanol or butane are much cheaper but result in a far lower quality product. This is because whilst the solvents can extract the cannabinoids, some or lost in the extraction process, there is a high risk of contamination and you have no accurate control over what compounds you are extracting. 

Solvent extraction, for example, often leads to the extraction of the chlorophyll in the hemp, which gives cheaper, low-quality CBD products their distinctive bitter taste. 

How does this comply?

Most CBD brands out there genuinely care about the quality of their products and the benefits they can offer the world (we are a great bunch). As such, we will always choose to use supercritical CO2 extraction, which again adds to the price of the finished product 

There are different types of products with different quantities of CBD, this also plays a role in the price. The less CBD the product contains, the cheaper it will be. The most commonly used CBD oil is the oil with 5% CBD (10 ml). For this, you pay on average € 30, -. A bottle with 2.5% CBD is obviously lower in price. The higher the CBD percentage, the more expensive the product will be.

Continue reading: How to detect low-quality CBD?

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The quality of the Product / Brand

Not every brand has the same quality, and you pay for quality. Organic CBD is, therefore, more expensive than non-organic CBD. There are a number of brands that place an emphasis on quality. Unfortunately, there are also more and more brands that go along with the trend and offer CBD oil for a cheap price. However, this is often bad quality CBD and has only minimal CBD content which is not sufficient for most people. In the article Where to buy CBD buy oil, tells you where you can best do this. We will explain this later.

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CBD Oils Need to be Tested

The testing and certification don't finish with the extraction process – oh no. 

Once the final products have been made, they are once more subject to continuous monitoring and testing. For a long time, all CBD testing was conducted by 3^rd party laboratories, and this still is the case for a lot of the industry. However, in the EU and UK, with new licensing standards and regulations, companies can move towards in-house testing so long as string conditions are met. 

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Marketing and Distribution of CBD Products is Still a Nightmare

Even though CBD products are fast becoming commonplace household items for people worldwide, the realm of marketing platforms, distributors, web hosts, and banks seems to be stuck in the dark ages. 

For example, the world's largest marketing platform which is now Facebook still does not allow paid advertisement of CBD products. The same applies to online retail shop host Shopify (outside of the USA). These cheap and accessible forms of DIY business platforms not allowing CBD products mean that sellers have to seek out and utilize more expensive tools and platforms to sell and market their products. As a result, once again, costs go up. 

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How Much Should I Be Paying for CBD?

There is a golden rule when it comes to CBD prices, and that is – if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. 

For example, let's say you are looking for a 10ml bottle of CBD oil containing 500mg of active CBD. Most reputable sellers (ourselves included) will price this somewhere in the region of 30-35 euros. 

If you are finding it elsewhere online for 10-15 Euro you should approach it with some skepticism. Make sure that you are checking extraction methods, certification, strengths, and sources. Chances are, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. You get what you pay for!

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Is CBD Worth the Price?

We are obviously a little bit biased here, but 100% yes. CBD has changed the lives of so many people all around the world. 

The list of benefits attributed to taking a good quality CBD oil is already huge. It grows year on year as more people discover it and research is carried out. Some of the health benefits already associated with CBD are:

• Reduced inflammation
• Pain management
• Better sleep
• Reduced stress
• Reduced anxiety
• Help with depression
• Weight control
• Lower blood pressure

CBD is also used to alleviate and control some symptoms associated with severe and debilitating conditions such as epilepsy and cerebral palsy. 

Just take a look through our blog for more articles and information. Describing exactly how and what CBD can do for you. Alternatively, if you have any further questions that you can't find an answer to, please feel free to get in touch with our fabulous team by clicking here. 

Continue reading with our other articles

• Can CBD Oil help Arthritis 
• CBD Oil and Weight Loss, how does it Work?
• CBD oil and Drugs Tests
• CBD Powder versus CBD Oil
• CBD Oil for ADHD

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CBD Oil Prices: Three Rules of Thumb

• Cheap CBD oils may not be very safe. They do not go through proper purifying and safety procedures to save on manufacturing costs.
• Expensive CBD oils go through proper processing and manufacturing. They are sold using proper channels and are generally backed up by legal agreements. Proper tested CBD oils are better for medicinal purposes. It is guaranteed that no impurities can react with your body.
• In general – “You get what you pay for”.

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The Real CBD Products

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