Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, is a medicinal extract from the Cannabis plant commonly used for medical purposes. It’s also cannabis’s second most prominent chemical component behind THC. Because of its many health benefits, CBD has been shifting into mainstream popularity in recent years.
How Old Do You Have to Be to Buy CBD?
There are still some legal limits on how it can be marketed and consumed. So to be clear: age restrictions have no bearing on whether or not CBD is good for you. For most people with normal health, it probably is.
But because of federal law, you have to be at least 18-years-old to purchase any product containing CBD in the U.S., even if you live in a state where it’s legal for recreational or medical use.
Many of the CBD oils, topical salves, tinctures, and edibles being sold are derived from hemp, which comes from the same plant as marijuana but contains hardly any THC. The Food and Drug Administration has approved some epilepsy drugs that contain pure CBD extract, but aside from those medications, the substance is still illegal under federal law.
Hemp-derived CBD products are also not allowed to make health claims on their labels or in online descriptions. But there are no age restrictions on people who possess CBD oil for personal use outside its interstate transport.
With so many states legalizing marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes (and even more states decriminalizing it), attitudes toward cannabis products like CBD are changing all the time.
Is CBD Legal?
Yes, that’s a more complicated question. It depends where you live. Some states have total bans on marijuana extracts like CBD, while others only allow it for medicinal purposes under particular circumstances. And still, others don’t have state-level laws addressing the issue at all, so CBD is legal to possess and sell under federal law.
As noted already, there’s no age requirement in most states for buying or possessing CBD products, but some do legally limit it. All things considered, though, it seems likely that non-psychoactive forms of cannabis like hemp will eventually become federally legal in some form or another.
Also, note that the FDA has only approved a few forms of CBD medication for specific conditions. So, while you can buy other forms of CBD legally, their use is limited to medical purposes.
Do You Have to Be of Legal Age to Buy CBD?
If this compound is legal in your state or municipality, there are no age restrictions on buying it at any retail store or online retailer. But if its possession and use remain prohibited by law where you live, purchasing it is off limits regardless of your age.
What Are the Common Forms of CBD Products?
CBD can be taken orally in most forms — capsules, oils, syrups — and applied topically in salves and lotions absorbed through the skin. It can also be smoked in dried flower buds, which are considered a healthier alternative to tobacco cigarettes.
What’s the Age Requirement for Buying CBD Vape and Cigarettes?
There are no age restrictions whatsoever when buying or smoking CBD vape products or hemp flowers. The same goes for CBD e-cigarette use, though there is some debate about whether vaping presents any unique risks due to its inhalation method.
But if you vape (or smoke) THC-containing cannabis products, you must be at least 21 years old. Though many states allow recreational marijuana use by people ages 21 and up, it’s still not legal everywhere.
Is It Legal to Give Children CBD with Parental Consent?
As long as there are no psychoactive ingredients, you can give your child CBD extract without the need for a note from their pediatrician or legal guardian. Just be careful about potentially toxic additives that could pose risks to small children.
There is evidence that CBD extract may help children who suffer from seizures, but it’s still considered an experimental treatment. More research needs to be done before it can be recommended as a safe alternative to standard seizure medications like Phenobarbitals and Depakote.
Whether the substance contains THC or not, giving marijuana products of any kind to children is illegal in almost every state due to strict laws against recreational use. Even if the CBD extract is from industrial hemp, not psychoactive cannabis, it’s still a risk to offer it to kids.
Tips for Buying CBD
Keep these guidelines in mind when you shop for CBD products :
- Make sure it’s legal where you live before buying or using any product derived from marijuana. Though both hemp and non-psychoactive cannabis extract are legal at the federal level, state laws vary widely on this issue. In contrast, some states have yet to legalize anything related to cannabis. According to federal law, if you purchase a CBD product containing THC levels above 0.3%, you must be 21 years of age or older.
- Choose only high-quality, reputable CBD products that are lab-tested for purity. That way, you can rest assured you’re getting high-quality medicine without any hazardous chemicals or additives.
- Take the time to learn more about each product so you know exactly what’s in it before buying or using it. Check out customer reviews on the retailer’s website to see if other customers had a good experience with their purchase.
Final Thoughts — Age Restrictions on CBD Use
The ideal scenario is that non-psychoactive hemp extracts would eventually be federally legal and regulated, similarly to how nutritional supplements are used today. There would then be no need for anyone of any age to worry about breaking the law when trying them as alternative treatment options.
CBD is a special case because it comes from cannabis plants, which are currently regulated by international treaties that the United States helped develop and pass. For now, these regulations make it difficult for researchers to more easily study CBD extracts for healing purposes.
But as CBD becomes more accepted as a safe treatment option without psychoactive effects, hopefully, those laws will change.
In the meantime, some parents have been experimenting with CBD extract as a therapy for their children’s seizures, often reporting successful results. Yet, they face potential legal consequences if caught buying or selling non-psychoactive hemp products — even though many of them consider it worth the risk to give their kids a better quality of life.