The United Nations, including 193 states, does not mention Cannabidiol (CBD) as a controlled substance in its treaty to control psychoactive drugs.
North America and Canada
In the United States of America, cannabis is federally illegal, whereas industrial hemp isn’t. Therefore, CBD derived from industrial hemp is legal to produce and supply, despite being the same compound isolated from grown, cultivated cannabis seeds it is also illegal to market CBD oil as a dietary supplement. This is because cannabidiol is not a food ingredient (dietary ingredient), and it doesn’t have an established safety profile or history of use in the food supply.
Because each state can make its laws, some accept cannabis and CBD to be used recreationally and medically:
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Vermont
- Washington, as well as the District of Columbia (Washington DC).
Other states accept the medical use of CBD:
- Oklahoma
- New Mexico
- New Jersey
- New Hampshire
- Georgia
- Delaware
- Florida
- Connecticut
Some states have their approach regarding the legal status of CBD.
- Canada recently legalised cannabis on a recreational basis, that means that CBD is straightforward to get there and is entirely legal for recreational and medicative users to relish. This legislation is still getting processed, and only medical cannabis is legal until October 2018.
South America
In Chile, Colombia, Peru, the medical use of cannabis is legalised.
- Chile; Private personal, medical use and recreational cultivation were decriminalised. Medicinal cultivation legal with the authorisation of The Chilean Agriculture Service (SAG) and sale of CBD prescription allowed on medicine in pharmacies.
- Colombia; In 2015, president Juan Manuel Santos approved a bill permitting cannabis and derivatives (CBD) for medical uses and setting guidelines for dispensaries. They have decriminalised up to 22 g of marijuana for personal use. Individuals possessing more copious amounts, or growing up to 20 plants, cannot be prosecuted if the drug is for personal use.
- Peru; In 2017, the administration of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski published a plan to legalise medical cannabis in Peru. The statement followed a raid in Lima, in which police shut down a process which generated cannabis medicines for children sickened from epilepsy and other ailments. Later that year, by a majority of 68 to 5 votes, Peru’s Congress legalised CBD and other cannabis oil for medical use.
Europe
In Europe, medical cannabis can be obtained in;
- Austria
- Belgium
- Germany
- Greece
- Denmark
- Norway
- Netherlands
- Romania
- Spain
- Italy
- Poland
In Switzerland, cannabis products containing less than 1% THC like Dutch Passion CBD Charlotte’s Angel can be produced and sold. The country currently permits growers to supply high-CBD strains, so long as they don’t exceed the mentioned THC values.
In Luxembourg cultivation is also legal, but only for strains like that contain less than 0.3% THC. This means hemp and CBD products derived from it are tolerated.
In the UK, CBD is legal and not considered a controlled substance. It can be freely distributed.
However, cannabis is unlawful below the Misuse of medication Act 1971, and any CBD oil with psychoactive drug values of over zero.2% is considered medical marijuana and is illegal. On the holy day of obligation, 2018, medical cannabis became available to patients in the UK on NHS prescription. The treatments will solely be imposed by specialist doctors wherever different medicines have unsuccessful – GPs aren’t allowed to prescribe it.
Pacific and Australia
On 17 October 2015, the Federal Government of Australia stated that it would legalise the growing of cannabis for medicinal and scientific purposes. On 24 February 2016, the Australian government proceeded revisions to the Narcotic Drugs Act that authorised the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal and scientific purposes. Finally, the usage of medicinal cannabis was approved at the federal level on 1 November 2016. Australia allows the non-prescription use of CBD oil extracts. New Zealand is set to legalise this 2019.
Legality of CBD in Asia
- China; Each recreational and medical marijuana, as well as hemp, are illegal, yet prescription CBD products are allowed.
- Cambodia; this country has a strange situation. Legally it is prohibited to cultivate, sell, buy, use and merely possess marijuana. Residents and tourists will nonchalantly obtain or maybe smoke marijuana publically. There is a public tolerance here and the country’s capital, Phnom Penh even has the reputation of being a global centre for cannabis. You can notice restaurants that sell marijuana and food things with cannabis as a part of the ingredients!
- India; Almost the same situation as in Cambodia. The law prohibits marijuana, but the public tolerance for cannabis is culturally rooted in religion, particularly concerning the Hindu festival of Holi. Traditionally, this competition needs cannabis-infused milk referred to as a soft drug. As a result, many stores openly sell marijuana. Many followers of the god Shiva are users of cannabis. Shiva himself has the title of the “Lord of Bhang.”
- In Myanmar, the law prohibits it, but it is not enforced.
- In Thailand, CBD medicinal use is legalised.
- Japan is culturally tolerant of cannabis but has strict laws against it. Mere possession of marijuana in Japan leads to a most sentence of 5 years imprisonment. Despite the archaeological evidence that suggests the Japanese people have been using cannabis as part of their diet since the Stone Age.
- In Indonesia, the law is stringent. On December 2, 2018, a British artist living in Bali was arrested for allegedly smuggling cannabis oil into the country and now faces up to 15 years in prison. Indonesian authorities caught him with 3g of medicinal cannabis oil, which he uses to treat his arthritis. Indonesian police aforesaid he received nearly 31g of cannabis oil within the mail and will face the execution if condemned. Despite the defence lawyers argued he was a drug user – after he failed a drugs test – rather than a trafficker, he still faces the trafficking charge.
Bottom Line
CBD is very popular all over the world because it gives a lot of health benefits and effectiveness it can offer. CBD is more accepted nowadays because of the promising results in the medical field and should be legalised across the globe.
Natalie Gray
Natalie Gray is a Biochemical Engineer. She works in the Research and Development team that focuses on the design and construction of unit processes. She is a recreational marijuana supporter, and her love for organic chemistry brought her to medical cannabis. She grows her flowers, working on different projects and study everything above and under cannabis roots.
For more awareness and news follow me
