Scientists who tested a number of CBD products – a substance popular for pain relief – found the majority contained illegal drugs.
The testing was carried out on behalf of several local authorities by Kent Scientific Services (KSS), the Official Control Laboratory operated by Kent County Council.
The results of testing on 61 products found that 44 samples contained one or more of the psychoactive elements of cannabis.
These are controlled drugs and are illegal.
KSS public analyst Jon Griffin who led the testing said: “CBD is the non-psychoactive element of cannabis.
“It is suggested it can have benefits including reduced anxiety, assisting with sleep and managing pain.
“On its own CBD is not an illegal controlled drug.”
CBD is classed as a novel food and is currently being assessed for safety by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) which has allowed around 6,000 products to be marketed in the UK, pending final approval.
The product can only be sold if it is on the list.
Products on the other end of the scale were found to contain hardly any CBD at all, despite claiming to, making them up to 99% deficient.
Two did not claim to contain any CBD but did, and two others contained products which are not on the FSA list.
In total, of the 61 samples, 72% contained one or more of these psychoactive elements of cannabis.
Mark Rolfe, the head of KSS, said: “The issue…
