Over the recent years, there has been an exciting hype around the use of cannabidiol (CBD) products in the U.S.
This widespread adoption has been fueled by the believable claims of advocates as to the potential health benefits of the said compound.
In 2018, the use of CBD for medical and recreational use became federally legal through the Farm Bill.
However, some states still have laws that prevent its use, owing to the adverse psychoactive effects of consuming cannabidiol products with higher levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Below is a brief classification of the various states regarding their respective CBD laws. Read on.
Fully Legal
The following states allow residents to use both hemp- and marijuana-derived CBD products for medical and recreational purposes:
- Washington DC
- Washington
- Vermont
- Oregon
- Michigan
- Massachusetts
- Maine
- Colorado
- California
- Alaska
Only Hemp-Derived CBD Is Legal
Other states maintain that CBD products must contain less than 0.3% THC.
The hemp plant contains 0.3% THC or less, which ensures that the user doesn’t experience psychoactive effects, such as disorientation, dizziness, slow reaction times, impaired coordination of body parts, memory loss, drowsiness, dry mouth, and increased heart rate.
The said states are as follows:
- West Virginia
- Utah
- Rhode Island
- Pennsylvania
- Oklahoma
- Ohio
- North Dakota
- New York
- New Mexico
- New Jersey
- New Hampshire
- Montana
- Missouri
- Minnesota
- Maryland
- Louisiana
- Illinois
- Hawaii
- Florida
- Delaware
- Connecticut
- Arkansas
- Arizona
States With Mixed Laws
Some states allow the use of CBD, but with other conditions, such as the use of only state-approved prescriptions or taking cannabis products under full doctor’s supervision, among others.
These states include:
- Wisconsin
- Virginia
- Tennessee
- South Carolina
- Oklahoma
- North Carolina
- Mississippi
- Kentucky
- Kansas
- Iowa
- Georgia
- Alabama
Completely Illegal
Idaho, Nebraska, and South Dakota still criminalize the use of cannabis products.
However, understand that CBD laws are changing rapidly by the day, so you’d want to have the latest updates for your particular state before drawing any conclusion.
What To Do
If you live in any of the states where CBD is fully or partially illegal, there are a few loopholes you can take advantage of to ensure that you don’t miss out on the potential health benefits of CBD.
Here are a few workarounds:
1. Try CBD Gummies
You can effortlessly buy hemp-derived full spectrum CBD gummies in all 50 states, either from online stores or brick-and-mortar shops.
They’re primarily legal in all states, but some states have a few accompanying legal warnings.
As such caveats vary widely from state to state, you better check what your state laws stipulate.
But, generally, to be on the safe side, you’d want to stick to hemp-derived gummies rather than marijuana-based gummies.
Those infused with CBD from marijuana are likely to have THC levels above 0.3%, and that’s illegal in most states.
Additionally, you’d want to avoid buying CBD gummies from a state where they’re legal, and, then, transport them to a state where they’re illegal.
That can land you into trouble with law enforcement authorities.
However, if you simply chew on them within the confines of your home, it’s highly unlikely that any policeman will bust your door and arrest you.
The Food and Drug Administration is clear on its policies that they only do crackdown on brands that explicitly claim that their cannabis products can be used for the treatment of major illnesses, such as cancer.
2. Use CBD Isolates
CBD isolate is the purest form of CBD, and which is obtained by extracting only the CBD compound from cannabis plants and nothing else.
Thus, it doesn’t contain any THC. And, being that THC is the contentious compound in cannabis, you steer clear of controversy by consuming CBD products with zero THC content.
Aside from CBD isolates, other cannabis products are labelled as full-spectrum (meaning they contain all the different compounds naturally found in the cannabis plants) or broad-spectrum (meaning the THC content is removed from the plant extract, but all other naturally-occurring compounds are left intact, thus making them a bit more beneficial than the isolates).
Thus, it should be in your best interest to learn more about full spectrum vs broad spectrum CBD, together with the possible health benefits of each.
3. Tour States Where CBD Is Legal
To satisfy your thirst for CBD, you can temporarily visit states where CBD use has been fully legalized, such as Michigan and Oregon.
Just make sure that you don’t carry it back to your home state.
Conclusion
Don’t wholly starve yourself of cannabis products if they’re still illegal in your state.
You can make use of hemp-derived gummies or CBD isolates that have no significant levels of THC.
Alternatively, you can move to the states where CBD is legal and enjoy whatever product you want, but make sure that you do it responsibly.