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CBD OPS is a Tennessee-based brand that stands out by providing THC-free CBD products to first responders and veterans. Established by U.S. Navy veteran and police officer Kris Liberty, CBD OPS gets its hemp from Oklahoma. The company posts third-party lab reports to verify the potency and safety of its products.
Summary
Although CBD OPS has good customer reviews, it has a lot of room to improve.
Pros
- THC-free products
- Reasonable prices
- Comprehensive, up-to-date third-party testing
- Good customer service
Cons
- Tincture contains only one other cannabinoid aside from THC
- Few potency options
- Gel contains little CBD
- Website lacks production process info
Table of Contents
About the Company: CBD OPS
CBD OPS is a small CBD oil company founded in 2018 by police officer Kris Liberty. A U.S. Navy veteran who served three tours in the Persian Gulf, Liberty became a police officer in Tennessee after returning home.
He turned to CBD to relieve anxiety and panic attacks and decided to start his own CBD brand after seeing positive results.
What makes CBD OPS different from most CBD companies is that it focuses specifically on first responders and veterans. That’s why its CBD products are free of THC to avoid a positive drug test.
The company sources its hemp from Oklahoma, where it‘s grown without the use of pesticides and fungicides. CBD OPS also provides detailed third-party lab test results for all batches of its CBD oil.
CBD Terminology
- Hemp: cannabis variety with high CBD and low THC levels (no more than 0.3%).
- Terpenes: aromatic plant compounds with various beneficial properties (1).
- Minor cannabinoids: CBN, CBG, CBC, and other beneficial cannabinoids found in smaller amounts in hemp. They may work in synergy with CBD.
- Full-spectrum: whole-plant hemp extract containing multiple cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. This form of CBD is about four times more potent than pure CBD (2).
- Broad-spectrum: whole-plant hemp extract similar to full-spectrum CBD, but with THC removed (may contain trace amounts).
- CBD isolate: pure CBD without any other hemp compounds.
CBD OPS Product Lineup
CBD OPS is a small company that offers only one only three THC-free products: a tincture, capsules, and a gel.
CBD OPS Heroes Choice Tincture
| CBD Potency | 25 mg/ml |
| Volume | 30 ml |
| Total CBD | 750 mg |
| Cost per mg CBD | $0.06–0.08 |
| Type | Broad-spectrum |
| Our Rating | 3/5 |
This CBD oil provides 750 mg of CBD per 30 ml bottle, giving it a medium-strength potency of 25 mg per ml.
It’s made with broad-spectrum hemp extract containing multiple phytocannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and other beneficial compounds but zero THC. This isn’t surprising since CBD OPS is marketed towards police officers and other first responders who have to pass marijuana drug tests.
The tincture has a natural flavor and uses standard carrier ingredients to improve CBD’s absorption, including MCT and grape seed oil. Unfortunately, third-party tests show that it contains only CBD and small amounts of CBG, which isn’t a great result for a broad-spectrum product.
CBD OPS Anytime CBD Capsules
| CBD Potency | 25 mg/ml |
| Capsule Count | 30 |
| Total CBD | 750 mg |
| Cost per mg CBD | $0.06 |
| Type | Isolate |
| Our Rating | 3/5 |
These capsules contain 25 mg of pure CBD alongside zinc gluconate (~400 mg), vitamin C (~200 mg), and moringa oleifera (~150 mg), an herb with many potential health benefits (3). Although I like these ingredients, it would be nice to get a better explanation for why each one was included.
CBD OPS Menthol Gel
| CBD Potency | ~2 mg/ml |
| Volume | 60 ml |
| Total CBD | ~100 mg |
| Cost per mg CBD | $0.25–0.30 |
| Type | Isolate |
| Our Rating | 2/5 |
CBD OPS’ gel combines about 100 mg of CBD with 0.1% menthol, the most popular topical pain-relieving ingredient out there. It also contains other standard topical ingredients such as hemp seed oil and aloe leaf juice.
While I like the formula, the CBD potency is very low — less than 2 mg of CBD per gram/ml. With such a small amount of CBD, this is basically a glorified menthol gel. Another problem is that CBD OPS says this gel is broad-spectrum, but the third-party tests only show CBD.
Price
The easiest way to compare the prices of different CBD products to see if you’re getting a good deal is to divide the total cost by the amount of CBD. For example, if you have a 1500 mg CBD oil that costs $100, its price per mg would be 100/1500 = $0.07.
CBD OPS’ products cost less if you buy them with the subscription option:
- $0.06-0.08 per mg for CBD oil, which is slightly cheaper than average
- $0.06 per mg for CBD capsules, which is slightly cheaper than average
- $0.25-0.30 per mg for the gel, which is expensive
Hemp Source and Extraction Process
CBD OPS doesn’t provide too many details about its manufacturing process.
According to the company, its hemp is grown without the use of pesticides or fungicides in the state of Oklahoma. However, as far as hemp quality goes, Colorado, Oregon, and Kentucky are considered the best states.
Also, it’s not clear whether this hemp is organic and non-GMO, and CBD OPS doesn’t state how this hemp is extracted to isolate the CBD.
But when I reached out to the company via Facebook, they said they use ethanol, which is one of the two most safe, effective methods of CBD extraction.
Third-Party Testing
Like any serious CBD brand, CBD OPS sends its products for testing to a third-party lab to verify their safety and efficacy.
These include potency tests (levels of CBD, THC, and other cannabinoids) and contaminant tests for pesticides, heavy metals, moisture, and more.
There’s also a terpenes profile test that shows you the levels of terpenes in the product, which is another helpful detail.
CBD OPS includes a third-party testing QR code on the back of every product. You can also see the results directly on the CBD OPS website.
Most of the company’s testing used to be done by F.A.S.T. Laboratories, a cannabis testing lab based in Oklahoma.
Unfortunately, this lab closed down in November of 2020 after an official investigation showed that it was fabricating third-party test results. This certainly isn’t a good look for CBD OPS and puts the results of their posted test documents in question.
However, CBD OPS recently changed labs to ProVerde, one of the most trusted and reputable cannabis testing labs in the country.
Third-Party Test Results
I always look at third-party lab test results to confirm that CBD brands are selling safe and effective products. More specifically, I check:
- The CBD content, which should be within 10% of the label (4)
- THC content
- Whether there are any contaminants
- Minor cannabinoid content (the more, the better)
The latest third-party test results for CBD OPS (posted above) are fairly good:
- The tests or the CBD oil show 792 mg of CBD, which is only 6% higher than the advertised amount
- The capsules contain 22.4 mg of CBD, which is 10% lower than the 25 mg on the label
- The gel contains about 120 mg of CBD, which is 20% higher than the label
The tests also confirm that the tincture is broad-spectrum because there are multiple terpenes and zero THC. However, the tests only found CBD and trace amounts of the minor cannabinoid CBG in the tincture.
I expect a high-quality, broad-spectrum CBD product to contain notable amounts of at least 3-4 cannabinoids, so this isn’t the greatest result. Similarly, tests for the gel only show CBD and no other cannabinoids, which looks more like isolate than broad-spectrum hemp extract.
But I like that the company also provides comprehensive, up-to-date tests for pesticides and other contaminants as well as terpenes.
Shipping & Returns
CBD OPS ships to all U.S. states. As long as your product is unused and unopened, you can get a full refund within 15 days of purchase.
Customer Service & Reputation
CBD OPS can be reached by email or Facebook. When I messaged the company on Facebook, I got a reply within a day.
Although I couldn’t find many independent reviews of CBD OPS online, it does have positive reviews on its website and Facebook page.
The reviews suggest that CBD OPS has a solid reputation. For example, several reviews mention the ease of getting a replacement CBD oil after problems with shipping, including one customer who received two bottles as a replacement for one that leaked.
My Verdict: There Are Better THC-Free Options
I don’t recommend CBD OPS because you can find better THC-free CBD products elsewhere.
I like CBD OPS from a reputation and customer service standpoint. It’s clear that the man behind the brand — Kris Liberty — wants to help other first transponders like himself, and CBD OPS’ glowing customer reviews prove this. However, the company’s products need to improve.
The tincture contains only one cannabinoid aside from CBD. That’s disappointing since a proper broad-spectrum CBD oil should provide multiple minor cannabinoids in addition to CBD. While it will still work, you can get a far better THC-free CBD oil from other brands.
Meanwhile, the gel contains too little CBD to be useful. CBD OPS also needs to provide more details about how the hemp is grown and extracted to make its products.
Gleb is a freelance writer from Vancouver, Canada specializing in CBD and cannabis. He’s read thousands of studies on CBD and other supplements, helping him translate complex science into plain language. Gleb has tried and reviewed dozens of CBD brands and products, written third-party testing reports, and knows the CBD industry inside and out. When not writing, he likes to kickbox, travel, and tell everyone how awesome intermittent fasting is.
