How Do QR Codes Connect to CBD?

Have you noticed how Quick Response (QR) codes are popping up everywhere? How do QR codes relate to CBD? When walking the aisles for CBD products you may find QR codes on many of the packages. While I cannot speak specifically for every company, many of the company’s QR codes are linked with their 3rd party testing sites and results — valuable intel for customers. 

What is a QR code and how do I use them? 

Do you know how QR codes came into existence and where they originated? In the1960’s when Japan entered a high economic growth period and a wide variety of products were being added in grocery stores, cashiers were having to enter the price of each product individually.  This was happening here in the U.S. as well and was quite time consuming.  So, the developers at Denso Wave Incorporated created the barcode which continues to be used today.  However, the bar code can only hold 20 alphanumeric characters which is very limiting.

 So what does that have to do with the QR Code?  Masahiro Hara, who is credited for the development of the QR code, wanted to develop a code that could be easily read and contain a lot of information. In 1994, after a year and a half in development the QR Code was perfected and capable of holding 7,000 characters that could be read fast and provide a lot of information.  It was originally used in the Japanese auto industry and spread to public use in 2002.

The QR Code spread globally in the early 2000’s; however, I feel like their use rapidly accelerated during COVID and 2020, do you? At first, I found them remarkably annoying, but I do see how useful they are. 

What does this have to do with CBD?! When walking the aisles for CBD products you may find QR codes on many of the packages. While I cannot speak specifically for every company, many of the company’s QR codes are linked with their 3rd party testing sites and results — valuable intel for customers. For Huntsboro Hemp Company, we use them to connect you to our 3rd party testing documents that show our products are THC and heavy metal free.

While they look funny, QR codes are quite simple to use. They are a square box with a pattern of black splotches arranged within the white box. Their purpose is to easily link you to whatever the company wants you, the customer, to know more about. For example, a restaurant may connect you to their menus or a clothing store may connect you to their newest sale or product. 

To use, simply pick up your mobile device and turn on the camera. Arrange the camera over the QR code as if you are taking a picture of it. Without taking a picture, your camera will register the QR code and a banner should appear at the top of your phone. From there, click the banner and the website that the company wants you to find will be there. It may sound complicated, but I promise it is quite easy. 

Why did Huntsboro Hemp Company choose to use QR codes?

As I mentioned, Huntsboro Hemp Company chose to use QR codes as a way to link a specific CBD product to our independent test documents. Each of our product batches is individually tested for THC, heavy metals, pesticides and to ensure that the CBD content is as promised. 

Why are the CBD product tests important?

First and foremost, the tests are important because they show that our products are the high quality CBD tinctures and CBD pain creams that we promise. We promise a certain level of CBD and we deliver. We also promise that our products are free of heavy metals and are organically grown. These tests prove those things to be true. We firmly believe that our job is to be as transparent as possible with our customers. Our belief is that we are a relationship based company — we want to know you and we hope you trust us. As a way to build trust, we lay out all of the details behind our products. 

Secondly, many of our customers are employed by the federal or a state government, have a personal concern about THC, or would like to avoid certain metals due to medical issues. Having the QR code provides an opportunity for customers to do their own due diligence before purchasing the product or during continued use. 

Can CBD heal me? 

We cannot make any guarantees about whether or not CBD will heal you and your specific pain points, but we do know that many studies have shown that CBD does decrease inflammation in the body and as that happens so do the symptoms associated with the inflammation. If we, as a community, choose to view CBD as a natural healer (which we do and we have the science to support that claim), then we believe that it should be as close to its natural state as possible. The 3rd party tests help validate that for our customers. Our customers trust us with what they put into their bodies and we want to give them every reason to continue trusting us as they venture toward more healthy, joyful living!