If you’ve ever purchased CBD, the following question has undoubtedly popped up in your mind: What causes CBD oil to be so expensive?!
Several factors influence the current retail prices of CBD. Most of them are related to the fact that hemp breeding, processing, and use for consumption are not old in the United States. But besides that, there are other interesting points … So let’s dive into this topic!
What factors influence the price of CBD?
If you are amongst CBD users complaining about how expensive CBD products are, think about the cost of CBD in terms of producing one bottle of high-quality CBD oil. Several factors can influence the high price of CBD; let’s explore them.
1. A costly procedure of hemp cultivation and CBD extraction
Factors such as soil type, drainage, and water retention are the most important factors in obtaining a good harvest. When it comes to temperature, cannabis plants prefer a temperature that is close to that of the human body. The climate must not be too dry, not too humid.
Thanks to modern technology, the cultivation of hemp can be more environmentally friendly and sustainable, but at the same time, costly.
There are plenty of methods of extracting CBD oil, including extraction with alcohol, supercritical carbon dioxide, or cold pressing. The choice of the extraction process adds value to production but also comes with costs. For the extraction of CO2, specialized equipment is needed, the operation of which requires skills and specialist knowledge. These two facts make carbon dioxide extraction the most expensive method on the market used by manufacturers. In this case, the price goes hand in hand with the quality of the produced extract and production efficiency, not to mention the safety of people involved in the production, users, and the environment.
Additionally, further purification is required after extraction. This is even more necessary if it is a CBD isolate, an oil that consists only of CBD. All these processes, whether it is the production of CBD isolate or CBD oil, require a series of steps and high-tech machinery that is expensive to operate and maintain. As the work involved is substantial, this is reflected in the price of CBD.
2. The issue of legalization (Research and analysis)
The distribution of products strongly involves third-party safety and cleanliness testing. It’s usually performed by laboratories following standard legal procedures for product quality approval. And while such tests are not required for hemp supplements, many manufacturers choose to do so to ensure the best quality of their products. The related costs depend on the scope of the research carried out.
3. Labor costs
According to a 2016 report about the cannabis labor market in America, the hemp harvest covers more than 30% of the total production costs. This is due to the fact that soil preparation, planting, irrigation, pruning, and harvesting are just some of the various, very labor-intensive tasks. In this case, no agricultural machinery is used but human hands.
4. Type of CBD oil
Full-spectrum oils, i.e., CBD oils that contain the full set of active substances present in hemp, are more expensive compared to CBD isolates.
The key factor influencing the price of the oil is the concentration of cannabidiol. The concentration determines how many mg of CBD are in 1 milliliter of the oil. What concentration should you choose to feel the effects of supplementation and not go with bags at the same time? As is usually the case, there is no definite answer. The choice of the concentration of the oil depends on the dose you need to take to feel the expected effects.
Where to buy CBD oil?
The popularity of CBD oils is growing at a dizzying pace. As sales generate demand, the number of places where you can buy CBD oils is also systematically increasing. Pharmacies, food stores, stores with hemp-based products, self-service vending machines… Everywhere you can get CBD oils of various concentrations, prices, and above all, of various quality.
Therefore, the most sensible way to buy high-quality CBD oil is to buy it from an online store like Herbz Depot, where you can read more about the product and compare prices. You can see our catalog with CBD oil products right away.