Ask a Stoner: Is There an Age Requirement to Buy CBD Products?

Dear Stoner: Does someone have to be eighteen to buy CBD products? What if they’re made from hemp? I see some in dispensaries and others in regular stores.
J.W.

Dear J.W.: Cannabidiol (CBD) products made from plants grown in a licensed marijuana cultivation can only be purchased at dispensaries, which are open to adults 21 and up and medical patients. However, a cannabis plant with no more than 0.3 percent THC is considered hemp by the federal government, so products from that plant can be sold in all fifty states. Despite their low THC content, hemp plants can still be rich in CBD. Although there are concerns about the long-term effects of hemp-derived CBD, and completely removing THC from medication isn’t always the right therapeutic decision, it’s great to at least see some form of CBD available to patients in non-legalized states.

You can find hemp CBD products at a variety of health stores, food markets and trendy boutiques, as well as smoke and vape shops that sell vaporizer cartridges with CBD oil. There’s no law against selling any of those, including vaporizer cartridges, to minors, but it’s still up to the business. Most smoke shops don’t even allow minors inside, and some require that you be 21 or older to buy CBD products.

“Online, however, is open season,” notes cannabis public-relations expert Emalee Hyde, who counts hemp-CBD vaporizer company Veedverks among her clients. “Any six-year-old with access to Mom and Dad’s account could order hemp-derived CBD.”

Have a question for our Stoner? E-mail [email protected] or call the potline at 303-­293­-2222.