Guide: How to Choose Clean Cannabis + CBD
What to ask and keywords to look for
I approach clean cannabis in the same way I consider organic food. Both are products grown from the earth, harvested, processed, and distributed for human consumption. I’ll admit that I don’t always buy organic at the grocery store. That’s a luxury that not everyone can afford.
As a conscious consumer, I try to make deliberate purchasing decisions that have a positive social, economic, and environmental impact that also fit into my budget. Like most, I make decisions based on price, values, and alternate available options. I have a hard time spending $16/dozen for local, pasture-raised eggs when there’s a $6/dozen free-range alternative.
Choosing which cannabis products to buy is not all that different from deciding whether to buy strawberries from the local farmer’s market, organic ones from Whole Foods, Driscoll’s brand at the grocery store, or the box of strawberries from the dude on the street corner.
In this Guide to Choosing Clean Cannabis, I’ll share information to help inform your decision-making about the weed products you consume.
Vol. 5.5 // In This Issue:
What is “Clean Cannabis?”
Keywords + Terms
Questions to Ask the Budtender
*Disclaimer: Cannabis is not federally regulated, the rules and regulations vary by state and state agencies. The terms and terminology defined here that can be found on cannabis product packaging are not regulated by a single government entity. Even within the industry there is controversy about defining clean and the terminology is constantly changing. This is by no means a comprehensive guide, it’s a starting point to help guide your cannabis journey. The information contained in this post are my opinions at the time of publishing.
What is Clean Cannabis?
Cannabis and cannabis products that are produced without the use of any chemicals or pesticides, using only all natural ingredients, and grown in ways that regenerate the earth.
Just like that idyllic $16 carton of pasture-raised eggs laid by happy chickens, these are the ideal attributes I look for when choosing clean cannabis:
Sun-grown in natural living soil without pesticides
Made using a chemical-free process
Whole plant infused
Organic-ish Certifications
It’s complicated. Currently, there is no official Organic certification for cannabis because it is a still a Schedule 1 substance, so it cannot be labeled as USDA Organic on packaging even if organic methods were used. In 2021, the California Department of Food & Agriculture established the OCal Cannabis Certification Program that certifies products bearing the seal are comparable to the national Organic program.
ADDITIONAL CERTIFICATIONS: Similar to Leaping Bunny for cosmetics, there are cannabis-specific programs like Clean Green and Sun + Earth Certified that provide a certified seal and stamp of approval brands can put on their packaging if they meet a certain set of criteria and pay to participate. Sephora created its own set of clean standards for its CBD beauty products.
Keep in mind, just like small farmers at your local farmer’s market, the price to participate in these certification programs for the right to use the certification seal on packaging can be cost prohibitive to small businesses. So not every brand that qualifies will participate in these private certification programs.
Complicated? I know. It’s the wild wild west out here.
Keywords + Terms to Look For, and What Do They Mean?
This glossary of terms defines and explains the terminology found on cannabis packaging and marketing materials.
Sun-Grown Outdoor vs. Indoor
Unless you live in a climate where cannabis grows well outdoors, most cannabis in dispensaries are grown indoors with controlled lighting, water, feeding, and environments.
Think about the different ways to grow tomato and basil plants: There are many ways to grow and adapt plants for our needs based on the weather and our environment, each with their own set of pros and cons. Outdoor in the garden with soil and natural fertilizer. Outdoor in an aquaponic setup. Inside a greenhouse with soil and fertilizer. Inside a greenhouse or building with hydroponic setup.
Sun-Grown Outdoor: cannabis grown under natural sunlight in an outdoor environment. Sun-grown cannabis uses fewer resources than cannabis grown indoors and there are less harvest cycles due to the seasons. It is more susceptible to pests, plant diseases, and natural disasters.
Indoor-Grown: Cannabis grown inside a building, under artificial conditions. Can be done in any climate and reduces the chance of pests. More control over the growing process, desired traits, and THC potency but can involve lots of equipment and be expensive.
The art of growing beautiful sun-grown cannabis flower and the people who do it extremely well are fading at an alarming rate. Soon it may become a memory and relic of pre-legalization. When given the option I choose to buy outdoor, sun-grown cannabis flower from independent farmers.
“Small weed farms are facing extinction under oppressive regulations, high taxes, and a statewide collapse in cannabis pricing” - “Inside California’s Cannabis Crisis” in Rolling Stone by Mary Jane Gibson
Sun + Earth Certified
Sun+Earth certifies that cannabis brands are holistically, responsibly, and regeneratively grown for the well-being of all people, farmers, and the planet – above and beyond organic. Provides affordable certification options for qualifying independent farmers.
Clean Green Certified
Clean Green offers organic, sustainable, and vegan certifications to farms and companies based on national and international organic, sustainable and regenerative programs. Brands pay for the right to print the Clean Green certified logo on their packaging.
Solventless vs. Solvent-Free
A solvent is a substance that can dissolve other substances, e.g. water, soap, alcohol, chemicals, etc. In cannabis:
Solventless: extraction methods and processing that uses no chemicals during the entire process
Solvent-Free: residual chemicals used during the extraction process (CO2, ethanol, or butane) are removed and safe for consumption
Technically all legal, compliant products in California are solvent-free because the Department of Cannabis Control has stringent testing requirements for residual chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals, and mold that must be passed before cannabis products can be authorized for sale.
“Yes, it is true that solvents can be recovered from a product rendering it solvent-free,” said Guy Rocourt, the Co-founder, President, and Chief Product Officer at Papa & Barkley. “Solventless was a term created by real cannabis folks to differentiate products that are created using chemicals.” – an excellent article about Solventless vs Solvent-Free for EMBER by Rachelle Gordon
Whole Plant
An infusion or extraction made using whole plants, without the use of chemicals. Typically in an oil or alcohol base. Contains some chlorophyll, plant fats and materials; has a “weedy” smell and taste – that’s a good thing.
Full Spectrum vs. Broad Spectrum vs. Distillate vs. Isolate
Full Spectrum: an extraction that maintains the full profile of the cannabis plant and contains a variety of cannabinoids, including THC, THCa, CBD, CBDa, CBG, and CBN, as well as terpenes and other beneficial compounds. This can be achieved through whole plant solventless methods OR solvent extraction and re-assembling the cannabinoids and terpenes. Has a full flavor profile.
Broad Spectrum CBD: a solvent extraction from the hemp (cannabis sativa) plant that maintains the cannabinoid and terpene profile, except with THC removed. Beneficial if you do not want any THC in your CBD products.
Distillate: a solvent extraction that removes everything except the desired cannabinoids, e.g. THC or CBD, to create a concentrated oil. Can sometimes have a bitter or metallic flavor when used in edibles.
Isolate: a crystalline powder created through additional solvent extraction processes after distillation. Can have a bitter or metallic flavor when used in edibles. Easy and convenient to use to make accurately dosed edibles.
Kief + Hash + Ice Water Hash
Made from separating the plant’s trichomes – the “fruit” of the cannabis plant where the most concentrated amount of cannabinoids and terpenes are found.
Kief: a solventless dry cannabis powder crafted by collecting the trichomes of the plant. The dry powder at the bottom of a grinder is kief.
Hash: a solventless concentrate made when trichomes are separated and pressed into a concentrated sticky brick or ball. It is usually brown or dark green in color, with a strong pure plant flavor. The art of making hashish has been practiced for centuries.
Ice Water Hash: a solventless concentrate made up of trichomes that are sifted in ice water through a series of very fine micron screens. Because the ingredients for ice water hash are kept frozen and cold the entire time, this is the most flavorful and concentrated expression of the plant’s flavors and cannabinoids.
Rosin vs. Resin
Common found in vapes and concentrates, also used for making edibles and topicals. Both rosin and resin are amber-colored, potent concentrated oil made from the plant’s trichomes.
Rosin: uses a solventless process with only heat and pressure to squeeze out the concentrated oil
Resin: extracted using hydrocarbon solvents such as butane and propane, which are then removed
Certificate of Analysis (COD)
All legal and compliant cannabis products and materials are sent to third-party testing labs which provide a Certificate of Analysis (COD) for each batch containing information about cannabinoid potency, terpenes, residual solvents, pesticides, microbial pathogens, and heavy metals.
QR Code on packaging: some brands have a QR code or link on their packaging or website that provides a link to their product COAs.
Ask for transparency: You can reach out to a brand to request COAs for specific products. If the company isn’t transparent or willing to share, well that tells you something.
What to Ask Your Budtender + Research Before Buying
Here’s what to look for and how to shop for better quality cannabis products at the dispensary. Budtenders can be helpful to answer questions about products and brands, but I encourage you to do your own research into the brands and products you purchase.
Brand ambassadors and educators will often be at dispensary Patient Appreciation Days, where they do product demos and can answer more in-depth questions about their products.
Do you have any Sun+Earth Certified, or outdoor sun-grown flower?
If you don’t live in California, this might be difficult to find
Ask for transparency: How is the cannabis for this product grown or extracted?
Do you have edibles made with cannabutter, rosin, hash, or kief?
Do you have solventless or rosin vape cartridges?
Are these topicals or tinctures made with solventless whole plant extractions?
Do you have prerolls or flower from independent farmers and growers?
COMING UP NEXT WEEK FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS:
Solventless Product + Brand Guide
My favorite solventless edibles, vapes, topical tinctures, flower and pre-roll products + brands
I hope this Guide to Clean Cannabis is helpful to demystifying cannabis. As a paid subscriber you can message me with any questions. Share in the comments if you have a question or send me a private email.
Before cannabis, I spent over a decade working in the food & restaurant industry. I helped build and grow Tender Greens, a farm-to-fork fine casual restaurant group between 2008 and 2018, as their head of brand, PR, communications, and marketing. During that time, I was closely connected with the farmers who grew and raised the ingredients we used at the restaurant, the chefs who made the incredible dishes and developed the menus, and the founders to shape the narrative around what the future of food could look like.
That experience with food and farming was a natural bridge to understanding cannabis from soil-to-shelf. As I toured cannabis farms in Humboldt, went inside cannabis extraction and production facilities, and started talking about the connection between cannabis and food, the parallels were all too clear.
Love good food and good weed? You’re in the right place.
XOXO, Christina W.
P.S. In the photo below, this is the first time I saw cannabis plants this large. This is what outdoor, sun-grown, organic and regeneratively grown cannabis looks like. WOW.
