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or other cannabis-based products in their store, they are required to immediately cease the sale of these products and remove them from their premises.” Although, at the time of writing, the first of these winners has yet to open their doors, the pervasiveness of the confusion pre-empted a message from the regulator of this nature.
So, what is the future for CBD regulation?
Member states of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (“CND”) received a recommendation from the World Health Organization Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (“WHO ECDD”) in January, 2019, related to the scheduling of cannabis. With respect to CBD (containing no more than 0.2% THC), the WHO ECDD recommends that those products not be included in any way in the international drug control conventions. The WHO ECDD cited this recommendation as stemming from the fact that CBD does not have psychoactive properties and they believe, no potential for abuse or to product dependence, nor does it have significant ill-effects.
Canada has seen the increase in demand for CBD products, and will likely respond to this as the regulations continue to grow and develop. This was seen with its commitment to introduce regulations for edibles, extracts, and topicals, which it has now done, and which will come into force this October.
If you need any further clarification on the legality of CBD oils or products please do not hesitate to contact
Whitney Abrams
at Minden Gross LLP 416-369-4148 | [email protected] or connect on Twitter @whitneyeabrams.