In Canada, products containing Cannabidiol in vape shops were removed despite increasing legal permission of medicinal and recreational marijuana use.
The product, CBDfx, is a vape additive that contains Cannabidiol (CBD) concentrate. It is legally manufactured by a company in California even though marijuana use is illegal under U.S. federal law.
To avoid violating federal crimes, the company has to import hemp, where they extract CBD, from Europe. To increase profits, they also ship their products to 5 countries, one of which is Canada.
CBD is substance extracted from the hemp plant or marijuana. It is a non-psychoactive drug, compared to tetrahydrocannabinol which can make users feel high. Despite its non-psychoactive effects, a lot of people buy it because it's proven to treat epilepsy, anxiety, and relieve pain.
However, despite its medicinal effects, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regulations consider it to be on par with THC and other psychoactive drugs. This bad reputation is what led the removal of Cannabidiol in vape shops.
According to the Calgary Herald, CDB is still listed alongside THC compounds which makes it a Schedule II drug. This means that your buyers can only obtain the substance through prescription.
Mike Tucker, a communications agent in Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams, stresses that Canada has its own laws dealing with drugs which is unlike laws in certain states that legalize the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana.
He also explains that the rapidly changing legislations and regulations regarding the drug have made the laws unclear.
CBDfx was available at Digital Imports, which is a vape shop in Edmonton, Canada. The manager, Ben Joy Dola, decided to remove the product from the shelves for the time being. He wants to wait for a certain law regarding marijuana use that is due to come out anytime soon.
He shares that the vape product is popular among buyers. He personally uses it to treat his back pain, and his wife uses it to help with her insomnia, the Metro News reports.
Laws and regulations regarding marijuana are getting significant attention recently as reported earlier.
In the meantime, the federal government is set to release a new law that would legalize recreational use of marijuana, which further fuels confusion of Cannabidiol in vape shops in Canada.
