It took a while, but the market is warming up to using hemp as a daily alternative remedy for a variety of discomforts. In fact, the hemp market has grown substantially since the herb was legalized and is expected to continue growing by up to 34% in 2025, bringing the industry to an estimated value of $26.6 billion.

With that, it’s easy to see that there’s a serious demand for all things hemp. And with great demand comes great supply — and then some. While it’s true that there are some reputable sources out there like plainjane.com, there are an equal number of bad apples that sell seedy product, and you might just be buying from them.

Check for USDA Organic Certification

The thing about the hemp plant is that it’s what the agricultural industry calls a powerful ‘bioaccumulator’. This simply means that as the plant grows, it absorbs all the stuff in the soil around it. That includes the nutrients it needs from the ground as well as any nasty chemicals and substances like heavy metals and toxins.

Hemp is so good at absorbing the stuff in fact that it was used to clean up after the Chernobyl explosion. Of course, you shouldn’t expect to get a bag of radiation-riddled hemp flower these days. But with such powerful absorption capabilities, it’s easy to see that hemp that’s grown in the wrong conditions could contain potentially dangerous substances.

Because not everyone knows how to read a Certificate of Analysis (which explains whether a sample contains harmful toxins), you could always just look for USDA Organic Certification. This ensures that the hemp you’re buying has gone through the most rigorous industry standards to guarantee it’s 100% organic.

Look for Contact Information

A vendor that doesn’t want to be chased after with complaints and refund requests will go out of their way to make it hard for their buyers to reach out. So they’ll blot out their contact information and operate without giving so much as a clue as to who’s running the show.

Unfortunately, there are lots of vendors out there who manage to sell their products without having to shell out a sliver of information about their brand — and that should be a major red flag. Sellers who are confident in the quality of their product shouldn’t be afraid of buyers being able to contact them.

Before you click through to check-out, make sure you look through the contact page. Do they have a hotline, an email address, or a contact form? To make doubly sure, you could try to send in an inquiry and see how fast they’d reply. Plus points if they can list an actual, physical address and the names of the people behind the brand.

Know What Type You’re Getting

No, not all hemp flower is the same. There are lots of different hemp flower varieties out there, and they can actually produce different effects. So if you’ve ever purchased CBD hemp flower thinking it would do one thing only to find out that it worked completely differently, then maybe it was a simple case of choosing the wrong strain.

There are two main categories of hemp flower, which are indica and sativa. In a nutshell, indica strains are those that produce a more sedative effect. They’re calmer and more relaxed, creating a feeling of a ‘body melt’ that puts your system in a state of tranquillity.

On the other hand, sativa strains are energetic and awakening. They stir the senses and the mind and get you feeling pumped for action. They’re great for people who want to use hemp to support productivity since these strains are known for their ability to bolster focus, attention span, and motivation.

Read the Reviews

Most hemp vendors will have their buyers post feedback straight to their website, and this can be helpful if you don’t want to have to Google the information yourself. But then again, there’s always the danger of reading reviews that weren’t exactly sourced from verified buyers.

As a general rule, you’re going to want to read reviews that have been verified by third-party software like Yotpo or Trust Pilot. These features ensure that only those who have successfully completed a transaction with the vendor can leave a review. This simply weeds out unscrupulous feedback that might have been generated by the brand itself.

If in case the website doesn’t have reviews, then your best option would have to be forums like Reddit. Read through a few threads and find out what the general consensus is. More often than not, brands still have some sort of representation on these forums, so make sure you read a bunch of threads to get a solid idea of how things really are.

Money-Back Guarantee

You can never go wrong with a brand that offers a satisfaction guarantee. These companies go the extra mile to make their buyers feel safe and secure. With this type of offer, you can significantly reduce the risk of buying a bad product and ending up with CBD hemp flower that just doesn’t meet expectations.

Most vendors that offer a money-back guarantee will stretch the coverage up to 30 days. But those that are really confident in their product will extend that guarantee up to 90 days, giving you significant time to test out their CBD hemp flower and see how it works for you. What’s more, some vendors will actually refund you the whole cost of the hemp flower, regardless of how much you’ve used.

Being a Smart Hemp Buyer

There are lots of shady vendors out there eager to make a buck or two off of an unsuspecting buyer. And because the demand for hemp is on the upswing, you can expect these kinds of sellers to proliferate exponentially. But fret not – there are still lots of good guys out there. It’s just a matter of knowing what to look for so you can feel confident in every purchase you make.