Mostly due to the company it keeps (we’re talking about you, Marijuana), CBD has endured a checkered and often confusing legal history in the USA.
Since the floodgates of Marijuana legalization opened, both for medical and recreational use, there has been a lot of confusion over what is legal and where. Although CBD has (almost) nothing to do with Marijuana, it still gets mixed up in its company.
If you have been looking into where you can legally buy CBD products in the US, you must have been confused a bit by now. But keep your mind at rest. In this article, we will explain how CBD is different, what the situation is with its legal status, and where you can find legal CBD dispensaries or retail outlets for CBD in the USA.
CBD is Not Marijuana
This is one thing that needs to be clarified upfront. CBD is a naturally occurring compound that is usually extracted from the Hemp plant. Like Marijuana, the Hemp plant owes its biological roots to the Cannabis Sativa plant.
However, the primary psychoactive ingredient in Marijuana that causes a “high” is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and not CBD. THC, alongside CBD, is one of a group of over 113 cannabinoids that can be found in various cannabis plants.
CBD does not cause any kind of “high.” On its own, it has wellness and therapeutic qualities that have been researched for many years now.
This is not to say that CBD cannot be made from Marijuana. Some producers offer extracts that have a mixture of both CBD and THC. But you should know that CBD on its own has no psychotropic qualities and is rather medicinal in nature.
The March Towards Legal CBD
Until the last two decades, there wasn’t much in the way of attention for CBD. It was banned just like Marijuana and had its own place in the Controlled Substances Act where the United States government regulated these plants and products similarly to heroinWhen studies on CBD began to show promising signs of therapeutic applications without the intoxicating effects of THC, CBD grew into a wider space of discussion.
Today, there is a growing body of research that suggests that CBD may provide assistance with managing a wide number of health conditions. This is mostly due to its effect on the endocannabinoid system (ECS). This ECS is made up of receptors and enzymes that promote homeostasis in the body.
Due to reports that the compound is not psychoactive and instead reportedly lowers anxiety levels as well as pain and inflammation, there was a push to legalize CBD. The push was crowned by success in December 2018 when the Agriculture Improvement Act (Farm Bill) was passed into law. The Act removes Hemp from the Controlled Substances Act (at the federal level) and legalizes its cultivation on US soil (with less than 0.3% THC). It also gave the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) the power to make regulations regarding products containing cannabis-derived products (e.g. CBD).
The legal situation regarding the legality of Hemp and CBD is still undergoing clarification.:
- First, the United States government is establishing regulatory rules for how the plants are grown, harvested, extracted and products manufactured. The USDA, which establishes rules for growing agriculture crops just published interim growing and testing rules in October 2019, although measures are still being taken to bring them fully into effect. The FDA which regulates extraction and product manufacturing is still evaluating the safety of CBD and establishing how these products should be classified and regulated.
- Second is the fact that each state has its own set of laws. Similar to how States have enacted Marijuana laws, there is not a uniform stance on CBD. This is probably the biggest reason for the confusion about CBD. However, as you’ll see in a display below, there are very few states where this is the case during the time of the publication of this blog: Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa, although each state have bills legalizing hemp currently under consideration
In What States Can You Find Legal CBD Dispensaries?
The situation with legal CBD dispensaries in most states is currently fluid. While most permit the use of CBD for at least some medical conditions, it still remains illegal in select places. For the vast majority, though, CBD is only legal so long as it contains no more than 0.3% THC.
Apart from this, many of these states are currently reviewing proposed amendments to their laws. So, there’s a lot of potential for the landscape to change in the coming months. Regardless, we can give you an overview of where you can legally buy CBD products in the US as of January 2020.
| State | Hemp-sourced CBD | Marijuana-sourced CBD |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Yes | Yes |
| Alaska | Yes | Yes |
| Arizona | Yes | Undecided |
| Arkansas | Yes | Yes |
| California | Yes | Yes |
| Colorado | Yes | Yes |
| Connecticut | Yes | Yes |
| Delaware | Yes | Yes |
| Florida | Yes | Yes |
| Georgia | Yes | Yes |
| Hawaii | Yes | Yes |
| Idaho | No | No |
| Illinois | Yes | Yes |
| Indiana | Yes | No |
| Iowa | Yes | Yes |
| Kansas | Yes | No |
| Louisiana | Yes | Yes |
| Maine | Yes | Yes |
| Maryland | Yes | Yes |
| Massachusetts | Yes | Yes |
| Michigan | Yes | Yes |
| Minnesota | Yes | Yes |
| Mississippi | Yes | No |
| Missouri | Yes | Yes |
| Montana | Yes | Yes |
| Nebraska | No | No |
| Nevada | Yes | Yes |
| New Hampshire | Yes | Yes |
| New Jersey | Yes | Yes |
| New Mexico | Yes | Yes |
| New York | Yes | Yes |
| North Carolina | Yes | No |
| North Dakota | Yes | Yes |
| Ohio | Yes | Yes |
| Oklahoma | Yes | Yes |
| Oregon | Yes | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | Yes |
| Rhode Island | Yes | Yes |
| South Carolina | Yes | No |
| South Dakota | Yes | No |
| Tennessee | Yes | No |
| Texas | Yes | No |
| Utah | Yes | Yes |
| Vermont | Yes | Yes |
| Virginia | Yes | Yes |
| Washington | Yes | Yes |
| Washington DC | Yes | Yes |
| West Virginia | Yes | Yes |
| Wisconsin | Yes | Yes |
| Wyoming | Yes | Yes |
CBD laws in Colorado
Since we at Panacea Life are based in Colorado, we’ll feature some of the laws of the Centennial State for just a bit. Colorado is the pioneering state for hemp production and manufacturing CBD products with industry leading regulations.
Despite Colorado’s progressive industrial hemp laws and regulations, buying CBD products in Colorado is still not as easy as buying a pack of spinach. Under Colorado laws, CBD products made from Hemp are legal if they are licensed by local health agencies and the Colorado Department of Agriculture. There is no age limit for the sale of these products, although some stores may apply their own rules.
Basically, anything made with CBD by a licensed company can be sold at any retailer, including gas stations, grocery stores, and online stores. Of course, the absence of any FDA regulations on the matter still means that the inter-state sale of CBD products continues to be tricky. Panacea has worked with state and local officials to develop industry leading quality and purity standards. Panacea’s Hemp farm using organic practices and is tested extensively for purity before entering the extraction and manufacturing facility. Each processing step of the CBD product is performed using Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), the same methods used for dietary supplement manufacturing, with third party testing verification to ensure that each and every product meets our strict criteria for quality and purity.
Final Words
If you’re in Colorado or anyone of the states that allow the sale of CBD products, you should be able to find legal CBD dispensaries or retail outlets to purchase CBD. But just to be safe, avoid purchasing from any supplier, whether online or in-store, unless you’re certain that they’re providing quality.
There are a lot of bold claims that might take you in if you’re not careful. So it’s essential to do your research and find out if your products are lab-tested and subject to stringent quality control.
If you’re wondering where to start with your search, you can check out our collection of CBD products. We extract our CBD from 100% natural Hemp grown in our vertically integrated 51,000 sq. foot Colorado facility. We use only the best premium strains and rigorously test our extracts to ensure you have only the purest products possible.
Sources
https://www.cbdoil.org/cbd-laws-by-state/#
https://www.westword.com/Marijuana/cbd-in-colorado-what-to-know-where-to-buy-it-and-how-to-use-it-11393192
https://plantpeople.co/cbd-legal-states/
