Glossary
Broad-spectrum
Updated:
Broad-spectrum describes a hemp extract that keeps most cannabinoids and terpenes but has THC removed to non-detect levels, usually by chromatography. It sits between full-spectrum and isolate. Verified ND THC at a low limit of quantitation is what lets broad-spectrum products clear the 0.4 mg per container cap.
Broad-spectrum starts as full-spectrum oil. Processors then remove THC, most often with chromatography that separates cannabinoids by how they move through a column, and keep the rest of the profile (Molecules 2022). The result still contains CBD, CBG, CBC and terpenes, but THC drops below the lab's detection limit.
The label is only as good as the lab work behind it. Some products marketed as broad-spectrum are isolate with terpenes added back, and some show THC at low but measurable levels. A certificate of analysis that reports delta-9 THC and THCa as ND, with the limit of quantitation printed, is the evidence that matters.
That evidence becomes a legal requirement on December 11, 2026, when the amended federal hemp definition caps finished products at 0.4 mg total THC per innermost container (7 U.S.C. 1639o; P.L. 119-103). Broad-spectrum extracts with ND THC are one of the two product classes that can meet the cap with margin, the other being isolate.
Broad-spectrum also suits people who are drug tested and want more than CBD alone.
Sources
- 7 U.S.C. 1639o, Definitions (hemp) Cornell Legal Information Institute (accessed 2026-10-13)
- A Comprehensive Review on the Techniques for Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Medicinal Cannabis (Molecules, 2022) PubMed (accessed 2026-10-13)
- Public Law 119-103, Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, section 2019 GovInfo (accessed 2026-10-13)