Cannabis use for recreational purposes became legal in Canada in 2018. The Cannabis act introduced by the federal government made CBD oils from government entities and licensed growers legal under stringent regulations.

The Cannabis act regulates compliance with essential CBD products. This includes production, processing, distribution, and sale. Only approved and regulated outlets like Exhale Wellness are considered legal to obtain CBD. This brings to question the quality and potency of any such CBD product.

Although medical cannabis has been legal since 2001 in Canada, CBD laws differ from one province to another. This disparity makes tracking CBD laws somewhat tricky.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a derivative compound extract from Cannabis that does not contain THC. THC is the compound that gives Cannabis its euphoric or ‘high’ sensation. This means CBD is not a psychoactive compound. It also comes in multiple forms, which make for easy ingestion.

Research has shown that CBD has pain-relieving properties, which makes it suitable for chronic pain. It also suggests that CBD oil can treat anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It has also been shown to be an effective remedy for autism, seizures, and childhood cancer.

Minors and CBD Oils

For most provinces in Canada, the legal age for consumption of CBD oil is 19 years. The legal age is 18 in Alberta and 21 in Quebec. An individual can have or share up to 30 grams of Cannabis. CBD oil can only be legally purchased at licensed private stores, government-operated stores, or online.

The popularity of CBD has impacted its adoption in pediatric patients. Researchers at Toronto’s SickKids hospital tested safe dosage limits of CBD oils for children with epilepsy. This helped to establish a safe dosage it would take to improve and reduce patients’ seizures. This helps alleviate the suffering of children and their parents.

The cannabis act prohibits producing or packaging products that youth may find appealing. The labelling of these CBD products is not also expected to appeal to minors. CBD products are also supposed to be sold by approved stores. They cannot be sold in self-service machines. The act also restricts promotion of CBD products in places where children may see them.

The penalties for the above-listed prohibitions are quite significant, with up to 14 years of imprisonment. Part of the restrictions on CBD products for minors is the lack of a research framework. Although regarded as 100% safe, we do not know the long-term effect of CBD. The research carried out has mostly been done using pure CBD compounds.

The CBD found in most commercial products is an extract of the compound, which is quite unreliable. Another unreliable factor is that the regulation of CBD products is still insufficient. We have to believe whatever the manufacturers say about them. There is also the use of harmful chemicals and synthetic compounds in so-called CBD products, which are harmful to consumers. There is a need to understand the full extent of CBD products to determine if they are safe for minors.