CBD Oil Legality in California: Cannabidiol State Law Regulations in CA, USA

Since the gradual legalization and decriminalization of the hemp industry in the past few years, public and private interest in CBD and hemp-derived products has surged significantly. But the grey area that the compound occupies in many parts of the country may make it hard for members of the hemp industry to gain access to the CBD products that they want.

Luckily, California is one state that has never had a significant issue with its public perception of CBD. In fact, California was one of the first states to fully legalize cannabis for both recreational and medicinal purposes. Since their decision to legalize the plant years ago, California has become a safe-haven for marijuana lovers, winning a reputation as one of the biggest states for cannabis and marijuana products of many types.

Thousands of vendors offer hundreds of different types of marijuana products available for consumption with very little regulation and hassle. CBD is derived from either the marijuana plant or the hemp plant, and most versions of popular CBD have the intoxicating substance of THC removed during the extraction process. This isn’t true for all types of CBD, though; some CBD extracted from female marijuana plants has enough THC to induce a high, which can complicate the legal status of the substance in many parts of the country.

Age Requirements For CBD In California

Age requirements for purchasing CBD in California are oftentimes going to follow the same guidelines for other cannabis-derived substances sold within the state. For the most part, this means that consumers looking to buy CBD products must be eighteen years of age in order to do so. Part of this regulation has nothing to do with the law itself, but instead relies on the rules of the smoke shops that often sell the CBD oils.

Because smoke and head shops offer a variety of tobacco products, they often require that their patrons be eighteen or older. This is no different in California, and there might even be a higher concentration of smoke and head shops in California than in many parts of the country. For this reason, the typical age at which someone is absolutely safe trying to buy CBD products is 21, although most jurisdictions make it possible to buy CBD at the age of eighteen.

But this does not necessarily mean that the possession of CBD is illegal for anyone under the age of either eighteen or twenty-one. Though there are certainly restrictions on who can possess intoxicating marijuana and cannabis substances, the same rules do not always apply with non-THC CBD. To be safe, consumers under the age of eighteen should contact someone in their local jurisdiction to clarify their rules.

Where To Find California CBD

In California, CBD can be purchased in a wide variety of stores, including head shops, smoke shops, and even food stores. Though some food stores have restrictions on what age patrons have to be to enter that section of the store or buy CBD products, it is yet again important to contact the store to figure out what their rules and regulations might be.

Usually, dispensaries will be stricter about who they sell to than the average supermarket or food store carrying the same CBD products. CBD products are now available in common grocery stores such as Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, and GNC. Even gas stations in California now carry many CBD products, though they are often only disallowed from being sold to minors.

Buying CBD Online In California

CBD is often most easily purchased online, but this might not be the case in California anymore. Though online retailers certainly always ship to California and many of them offer a higher variety and stock of CBD and hemp-derived products than many brick and mortar shops, the clear availability of CBD in so many stores makes this an almost unnecessary step for potential CBD users to take to gain access to the substance.

But buying online has its benefits for those consumers who might not be eighteen or twenty-one years old; the online CBD markets are exceedingly unregulated and often do not have the oversight that other mediums for the product have. But this could also mean that the products are not quite as investigated and vetted as products from licensed brick and mortar stores.

Future Legality Of California CBD

California is already strides ahead of many states when it comes to the distribution of legalized medicinal and recreational hemp and cannabis. But as the legislation in support of the CBD and hemp industries continues to mold public perception in favor of the substance, CBD users in California can expect the legal landscape to become even more accepting.