"Is it organic?" It's almost become a reflex for my customers, as if the word alone guaranteed quality. The topic deserves more nuance, because with hemp organic really matters – but not necessarily for the reasons you'd think.
Why organic matters more for hemp than for most plants
Hemp is what's called a bioaccumulator: it actively absorbs everything in the soil it grows in, heavy metals and pesticide residues included. Unlike a vegetable you peel or cook, a CBD flower that's smoked or vaporized goes straight to your lungs, without the filter of the digestive system. What the plant absorbed from the soil, you breathe in almost directly.
What a real organic certification actually guarantees
A recognised label such as Bio Suisse, France's AB or Ecocert imposes strict specifications: no synthetic chemical pesticides, soil converted to organic farming for several years, and annual checks by an independent body, not by the grower. It's a real guarantee on how the plant was grown, with a verifiable certification number.
What the organic label doesn't guarantee
An organic certification says nothing about the THC content of the finished product, or about heavy metals that may have been in polluted soil before conversion. It also doesn't cover the processing steps: extraction and the making of oils, e-liquids or creams don't have a harmonised organic certification at European level. An organic flower can perfectly well become an oil whose extraction process was never checked for organic standards.
The real problem: stickers without certification
Many products display a green leaf or the word "organic" without any certification number or independent body behind it. It's legal to write as long as it isn't a protected label, and it remains pure marketing. A 2025 European study found that nearly 35% of products sold as CBD contained undeclared traces of heavy metals or pesticides – often products with no real certification despite "natural" or "organic" claims on the packaging.
A customer once asked me why our 12% flower was certified organic when another shop sold a similar "organic" flower for less. I took out my certificate with the certifying body's number; he found nothing equivalent for the other product when he looked at home. He never went back there.
What you really need to check
Look for a real certification logo with a verifiable body number, not just the word written out. Above all, ask for the product's full certificate of analysis – the one that also tests for heavy metals and pesticides, not just CBD and THC content. A non-organic product with a full, clean COA can be safer than a self-proclaimed "organic" one with no checks at all.
My straight advice
Don't pay more just for the word "organic" on a label with no verifiable certification behind it. Always ask for the full certificate of analysis, organic or not – it's the only way to really know what you're putting in your body.
