What are the recommendations for CBD products in Canada?

Canada legalized cannabis in 2018 and brought all uses of it under the jurisdiction of Health Canada CBD and THC. Current cannabis regulations in Canada therefore prohibit the sale of CBD except at authorized recreational cannabis retailers in each province, or upon presentation of a doctor’s note.

Keep CBD in the Cannabis Act…

With a view to relaxing the conditions for access to these «cannabis-based health products» (PSC), described as hemp wellness In France, Health Canada has online Between June and September, a consultation on the potential market for cannabis-based health products that would not require supervision by a healthcare professional. The purpose of the consultation was to gather feedback from Canadians on the types of products they would be interested in buying, manufacturing, or selling if such products were legally available in Canada.

«Health Canada is aware that some Canadians are interested in Possible therapeutic uses of cannabis to treat minor ailments in humans (e.g., insomnia, pain relief for sore muscles) and in animals (e.g., pain relief). Products containing unauthorized health claims are also appearing on the market illegally, such as cannabidiol (CBD) products, which claim to relieve muscle, joint, and inflammatory pain,» states the introduction to the consultation.

«Any new market access route for PSCs must comply with the strict controls established under the Cannabis Act to protect young people, displace the illegal market, and restrict the promotion of cannabis. »This new approach must also build on the evidence-based system established by Health Canada to ensure access to safe, effective, and high-quality products that are marketed to maintain and improve the health of Canadians.”

…or bring them under the Hemp Act?

The Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) nevertheless proposes to exclude CBD products from the Cannabis Act and to bring them under the Industrial Hemp Regulations. As she points out in a press release, Health Canada’s approach provides a unified framework for all cannabis-derived health products or for PSCs containing any ingredient, without distinguishing between the sources of the components—for example, between cannabis and hemp.

The CHFA is thus proposing an alternative to the federal government’s position: amending the Industrial Hemp Regulations (IHR) to allow industrial hemp ingredients to be extracted, produced, and sold outside the scope of the Cannabis Act. This amendment would allow CBD to be extracted from hemp without the need for a recreational or medical cannabis license.

To take this a step further, the CHFA also proposes removing hemp-derived CBD from the list of controlled substances, as non-intoxicating phytocannabinoids do not belong on that list.

The alternative proposed by the CHFA also aims to meet the strong Canadian demand for natural health products by removing barriers to the production, processing, and marketing of hemp-derived CBD. «The hemp sector is projected to see significant growth by 2023, representing more than a billion dollars in economic benefits,» added Ms. Long. “However, part of this economic growth depends on improving the regulatory pathway for bringing CBD-containing health products to market—which the CHFA’s solution addresses.”